Any place can be Heaven, if you let it
by A. Amishi
Summary: A sequel to Random1377's, Crimson and Azure. This story was written and posted with Random1377's permission and blessing.
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer:** Neon Genesis Evangelion is the property of Gainax. US distribution of NGE is the sole right of ADV. I am but a poor fanfiction writer seeking to bring a few moments of joy to the lives of fellow fanfiction readers.

-

-

**Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it** (This is a sequel to Random1377's Crimson and Azure)

-

-

**Description:** This story is a sequel to Random1377's story,** Crimson and Azure**. It originally started out as an epilogue to his story, but soon took on a life of its own. This story was written with the approval of Random1377 and is being posted on the web with his blessing. If you have not read Crimson and Azure, I strongly suggest that you do so first. This story begins after Third Impact and follows the lives of Shinji, Rei, Asuka and Misato in the years that follow. The title of this story was taken from C&A, and was something Asuka's mother said to her before ascending to Heaven. Here it serves as the central theme of this story. This story does not try to tell of one particular event, but rather is a character driven story that looks at instances in time and the developing relationships between the main characters. I hope you enjoy it.

-

-

**Acknowledgements:** I'd like to offer a VERY BIG THANK YOU to **Random1377** for giving me permission to continue where you left off on **Crimson and Azure,** and for allowing me to use excerpts from Crimson and Azure in my prologue. I hope I managed to maintain the spirit and sense of his original story and expand upon it. I'd also like to extend thanks to those who followed this story while I was posting it on . I'd especially like to thank those who emailed me and replied to my postings with suggestions and creative comments. I believe the final product of this work has been made better by your comments and suggestions. Thank you all. I'd like to thank **Tex James** for proofreading my story. Thank you for offering suggestions and ideas that helped make this story better than it otherwise may have been, Tex. You were a great help. If you want to read some fine fanfics, check out his site at

In addition, I'd like to extend a very special thank you to my new pre-reader, Janice, who has worked tirelessly at re-editing all of my works. Thank you Janice for all your help and hard work. You're the best.

-

-

Prologue 

**Excerpts from Crimson and Azure** _(by Random1377 and added here with his approval)_

---

With a savage, and far less muted growl, Unit 02 tore free of Lillith's now disintegrating body, its four eyes glowing with green fire as it once more sounded its mournful cry. It pulled its way free of confinement, stumbling slightly on the irregular surface of the angel's face for a moment before leaning forward and collapsing. As it fell towards the earth, its power reserves spent, the back panel ejected, releasing its precious cargo.

In a place far removed, yet less than a breath away, Shinji, Asuka, Misato, Rei, and Kyoko floated, no longer bound to the illusion of Terminal Dogma and Tokyo-3 that was Gendo's province.

"Well done," Kyoko said tiredly, her image fading ever more, "well done… my Asuka. Now go," she smiled, caressing the girl's face gently, "go live…"

"What about you?" Asuka asked hesitantly, holding the hand against her face, "What's going to happen to-"

"Shhh," Kyoko whispered, averting her eyes, "Go now, Asuka."

The redhead's face crumpled. "But… but – that's not fair!" she managed, scrubbing angrily at her eyes, "Shinji and Rei get to come back – and they were dead! Why can't you, too?"

Kyoko smiled gently. "What's all this crying business?" she said softly, "Where's my strong little Asu-"

"I'm tired of being strong!" Asuka shouted, her voice cracking, "Everyone else is happy! Everyone else has someone to love them – but not me! I have to be all alo-"

"Look around you," Kyoko interrupted, her tone indicating that it was not a request.

Asuka did as she was told, frowning as she looked at the three others, ……… looking slowly from face to face and trying to see anything she hadn't seen the first time. It was in Shinji's eyes that she spotted it first, but it was present in the other two as well, to a lesser degree. "What's this existential crap?" she breathed, blushing slightly and lowering her eyes as Shinji smiled at her, "You're going to try and tell me they ALL love me??"

"I'm not telling you anything," Kyoko grinned, "I'm just saying maybe you should look at the people around you – that's all." Her voice grew softer, and her image seemed to fade a bit more. "I **_will_** tell you that **_I_** love you, and I wish I could be there to say it every day." Her words became mere whispers as she sighed, ethereal tears finally slipping down her cheeks as she looked at Rei and Shinji, locked in a tight embrace and whispering words of love and comfort to one another.

She inclined her head slightly towards them, closing her eyes and whispering, "Any place can be Heaven, if you let it."

Asuka closed her eyes as the world around her began to fade away, Instrumentality's power finally breaking. Slowly, she opened them once more, ignoring the others and focusing on her mother one last time, whispering the words she held onto for so long… before it was too late.

"I love you too, Mama."

Unit 02 continued its unceremonious plummet to the ground, crashing into the ocean of LCL left behind by the rapidly decaying body of Lillith and sinking to the bottom with barely a ripple to mark its passing. Its eyes, once glowing with fire and power, were black… the soul that once resided within having chosen to ascend to the heavens.

On the banks of the ocean sat four individuals, blinking as they found themselves suddenly free of the merging of souls. "Is it over?" Shinji asked uncertainly, looking away as the remaining white EVAs crashed lifelessly into the LCL, "I mean… really over?"

"Looks like it…" Misato managed.

, ……… "So what now?" Shinji asked the redhead cautiously, still holding Rei as if he expected her to vanish any moment, "Since the EVAs are gone, are you going to leave?"

"Please do not," Rei added quietly, gently freeing herself from Shinji's embrace so she could fully face the Second Child, "we… _I_ would like you to stay."

Asuka pondered this for a moment, looking up at the gigantic, broken form of the second angel as the others waited for her reply. "Don't really have any other place to go," she shrugged finally, "don't really want to go back to Germany – I don't even know if my father survived, and we haven't been too close lately, so I don't think I'd want to go there anyway… so I guess I'll hang around." Slowly, she rose to her feet, offering Shinji her hand and smiling softly. "Besides," she said mischievously, "I have to make sure I'm there when Wondergirl messes up and loses you."

"You will have a long time to wait," Rei whispered softly, blushing in spite of herself as her boyfriend was helped up, "I will not lose what I have so recently found." She blinked as Asuka leaned forward, offering her a hand as well.

"Better be sure," the redhead murmured seriously, "because I'll be around. And even if I'm married, have five kids, and live in the suburbs, I'll always hold a place for him."

"Five kids?" Misato asked skeptically, "I thought you hated kids."

Asuka stuck her tongue out. "Ever hear of a hypothetical?" she grumbled, practically yanking Rei to her feet, "You know what I mean… tramp."

"What did you say?" the purple-haired woman asked dangerously.

"I said, 'Damn,'" Asuka said immediately, "like, 'Damn, it's getting kinda dark – let's find a place to stay."

Shinji laughed as Misato rolled her eyes, brushing herself off as she got to her feet.……… Together they began walking away from the beach that could have so easily been their final resting place.

Anyone watching them leave could have easily picked the four out of a crowd. There was a young man with brown hair, an older woman with purple hair, and two young women – one with hair of brilliant crimson, and the other with hair of deepest azure.

---

-

-

(Our story begins)

Eight Days after Third Impact

---

"This is Elizabeth Heatherfield, reporting for the BBC in London. Events are rather sketchy at the moment, but it does appear that a worldwide cataclysmic event took place eight days ago. Reports are still coming in, but it appears at this point that nearly a third of the world's population has ceased to exist. No one knows for certain, or at least no one in authority is saying, what the source of this global catastrophe was, but speculation seems to center around Tokyo3. While the world struggles to recover from this latest calamity, scientists and politicians alike are calling it: Third Impact."

-

-

Ten Days after Third Impact

---

"This is Warren Sutton, reporting for CNN outside the capital building in Washington DC. A joint session of congress has been in session now for four days, discussing what is being called a global conspiracy against humanity, though only a quarter of the senators and congresspersons are present. States have been sending newly elected or appointed representatives each day in order to ensure representation. As their numbers build, the burning question on everyone's mind is how could such a conspiracy take place, and what was the United States' involvement in that conspiracy? Many questions have been asked, but few answers have been found so far."

-

-

Eleven Days after Third Impact

---

"This is Akito Tenkawa, reporting for the JBC. We are broadcasting 100 kilometers inside the quarantined area, where the fortress city of Tokyo3 once stood. Just over this summit about 40 kilometers away are the ruins of that once great city. This reporter has confirmed reports that a steady flow of construction vehicles has been moving in and out of the city. What you are seeing now is a convoy of trucks, hauling a wide assortment of raw materials needed to rebuild a city. This convoy seems to have no end. We have been observing it now for over six hours, and still no end in sight. An equally steady flow of trucks has been leaving the city, but these as you can see are empty. Now what we are about to do is extremely dangerous. We are going to take our camera over the summit and give you a first hand look at the city that was once Tokyo3."

"This is the most amazing sight this reporter has ever witnessed. As you can plainly see, there in the center of what used to be Tokyo3 is a huge hole. And in that hole… yes, yes it appears to be a geofront, an actual geofront. So the rumors of a geofront existing under the city of Tokyo3 appear to be true. And if the rest of the rumors can be believed, in the heart of the geofront is NERV. The once secret organization whose job it was to preserve the planet from the invading monsters referred to as Angels."

"As you can see, the focus of the construction effort seems to be centered on sealing up the great chasm in the midst of the city. And… wait… wait; it appears that… yes, a UN attack aircraft is closing in on our position. We will remain on the air as long as we can. The public has a right to know what has been going on here. The craft has landed and several armed UN soldiers are now approaching us."

KSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

TSH! TSH! TSH! TSH! TSH! TSH!

KSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

TSH! TSH!

-

-

Fourteen Days after Third Impact

---

"This is Sydney Weathering, reporting for the BBC in New York City, just outside the General Assembly Chambers of the United Nations. The broadcast and sudden disappearance of reporter Akito Tenkawa has the world in an uproar. Civil unrest has been reported throughout the world, especially in the industrialized nations that most likely had a hand in the events that took place at Tokyo3; events that may very well have precipitated Third Impact. The General Assembly of the United Nations has been called to order to obtain the truth from these nations. A report is anticipated within the week. What exactly will be in this report has yet to be revealed."

-

-

Seventeen Days after Third Impact

---

"Hello, this is Akito Tenkawa! I am happy to report that the rumors of my demise were greatly exaggerated! I am currently on a UN military transport being driven through the once devastated city of Tokyo3! As you can see, much of the city has already been rebuilt! It has taken an amazing, monumental human effort to rebuild this city in such a short time! But there is still much work that needs to be done!"

"We are now coming up to the chasm we showed just six days ago!"

"At that time, it was at least 40 kilometers across. Now look at it. I would estimate it is no more than 15 to 18 kilometers. And for the first time ever, the media has been given permission to show what is down below this great city. As you can see, it is a geofront, and at the bottom, yet another city. To people who have lived and worked in this city for years, this is nothing new, but everyone who has ever lived within the Tokyo3 district has had to sign a non-disclosure pact, ensuring the secrecy of this place to the rest of the world. Now for the first time, the existence of the hidden headquarters of NERV is being shown to the world. What purpose does the United Nations have in mind for this hidden complex and the organization that once called this its home? Only time will tell. This is Akito Tenkawa, reporting for the JBC in the heart of Tokyo3."

-

-

Twenty-two Days after Third Impact

---

"This is Warren Sutton, reporting from the White House. The release of the UN report on the events leading up to Third Impact has had an immediate effect on this administration. The report clearly states that the United States government was one of five nations involved in the attack on Tokyo3. An attack that cost the lives of over 700,000 civilians, not to mention another 50,000 UN, JSSDF, and NERV military personnel. While neither President Longstreet nor Vice-President Channily have returned since Third Impact, former Speaker of the House, now President, Vincent Hoffman is expected to address both houses of congress later today to announce his resignation. Though his name was in no way mentioned in the UN report, this reporter has it from reliable authority that the President feels that it was his Party that was directly involved, and therefore as the head of his Party, he must accept responsibility for its most heinous actions."

-

"This is Elizabeth Heatherfield, reporting from London. The release of the UN report has had a devastating impact on the already fragile world economy. Markets all over the world have plummeted. Reports of government leaders resigning over the report have come from the United State, China, and Germany. Calls for parliamentary elections are coming from London and Moscow. Reports that the Japanese Secretary of Defense, who was named prominently in the UN report, has committed suicide are as yet unconfirmed.

Other names and organizations prominently named in the UN report include NERV, Gendo Ikari, the overall commander of NERV who has yet to be found, and a secret organization called Seele."

-

-

Twenty-three Days after Third Impact

---

"This is Marco Colombo, reporting for the BBC from Vatican City, Rome. The Pope has just completed a speech to tens of thousands of loyal followers, condemning the UN report as blasphemy. The Pontiff pointed out such phrases as _The Angel Wars_, _Neon Genesis_ _Evangelion_, _Human Instrumentality_, _and Third Impact_ as being akin to heresy. And he condemned NERV, its commander Gendo Ikari, and the three young Eva pilots as instruments of Satan. In an unexpected turn of events, while most in Vatican Square were cheering every word the Pontiff spoke, when he condemned the three children, an uneasy murmur started within the crowd. The murmur grew into a chant of **God save the Children**, and eventually the Pope was booed unceremoniously. This was an event never witnessed by this reporter before, and if I may say, was well deserved. Believe what you will about man's war against these… these monsters; those three children were the saviors of this planet and deserve a debt of gratitude humanity will never be able to repay."

-

_**"The previous opinions were those of Marco Colombo and do not reflect the opinions of the BBC or any of its affiliates."**_

-

-

Four weeks after Third Impact

---

"This is Akito Tenkawa, reporting for the JBC from within the geofront, in what used to be the command center of NERV. From here the battles against the Angels were waged. From up there, looking down like some type of demigod, sat Commander Gendo Ikari as he orchestrated both the defense and destruction of the world. Down here the Operations Director, Major Misato Katsuragi commanded the Evangelions in battle against the Angels. These seats here were where the operators sat that monitored both the EVAs' systems, as well as provided analysis on their targets. And while the reconstruction of Tokyo3 continues, this place has gone silent.

Accusations and counter-accusations over who was really at fault for the attack on this complex and for the deaths of nearly 50,000 UN and JSSDF troops is currently being debated in the chambers of the UN General Assembly. And the result of that debate can very well determine the future of this organization. An organization that once defended the world from annihilation now stands accused of acts against humanity so terrible, this reporter has difficulty putting them into words.

While charges have been levied at all levels within NERV, those most prominently mentioned include Sub-Commander Kouzou Fuyutsuki, Department Head of Project E. Doctor Ritsuko Akagi, Operations Director Major Misato Katsuragi, and Eva pilots Rei Ayanami, Asuka Langley Souryu, and the former commander's own son, Shinji Ikari. What will become of them and of this facility is now in the hands of the General Assembly. Only time will tell."


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it (A sequel to Random1377's, Crimson and Azure)

Chapter 1

2015 

Six weeks since Third Impact

---

An official from the Japanese Government stood with his cellphone to his ear in what was once the command center of NERV. A handful of former employees: senior staff, some junior staff, administrators and pilots, stood around him waiting patiently. Around them, 30 members of the JSSDF, fully armed and ready to arrest anyone the gentleman on the phone ordered them to arrest.

"Yes sir. That has been confirmed and verified? Yes sir." A long pause elicited sighs of impatience from several staff members including one very irritated redheaded 14-year-old.

"Yes, sir, I understand." He terminated the call and turned to the elderly gentleman who stood alone amongst the crowd.

"Well, the United Nations has cleared all NERV personnel of any wrong doing and has chartered it to begin the rebuilding process under UN jurisdiction. Congratulations Commander Fuyutsuki. You are now in charge of NERV's Asian branch." He extended his hand to the gray-haired man.

"Thank you Mister Secretary. When may we begin rebuilding?"

"Immediately Commander. I wish you the best of luck. I can't wait to see what peacetime use the Evas will be put to. Once again, congratulations." He bowed politely and exited the facility, his entourage of soldiers in tow.

The new commander took a moment to watch the new Secretary of Defense leave then turned to the personnel present. "Well people, we have much work to do. Dr. Akagi, I would like you to continue being in charge of Project E. Will you accept?"

"Yes sir. It will be an honor." She responded without a hint of emotion. 

"Excellent. Your first task will be to rebuild Unit 00 and attempt to incorporate an S2 engine from one of the production models within it." Turning his attention to Misato, he continued, "Major Katsuragi, I would like you to fill the dual roll of Operations Director and Sub-Commander for the time being, until a qualified person can be found or groomed for the OD position. Will you accept?"

"Yes sir, it will be my privilege sir." She saluted, trying to hide her excitement but failing miserably. 

Fuyutsuki went on filling the other department head positions then retired to his office. He needed to get on the phone with the UN and discuss several pressing issues, not the least being funding.

__

'Groom someone for the OD position.'Misato looked over at Maya, the only one of the three senior command center operators to return. But before she could say a word Ritsuko passed by her and whispered. "Don't even think about it. She's mine." Misato scratched the back of her head and gave a big silly grin. "Thought never entered my mind. Hehehehehe" _'SHIT!'_

Later that evening at Katsuragi's apartment

---

Stepping out of the bathroom in a clean pair of shorts and a T-shirt with her hair wrapped up in a towel, Misato scanned the room but saw no one around. "Hey, where'd everyone go?" She yelled.

"Out!" Came a voice from Asuka's room.

Misato slid her door open and asked, "Out where?"

"Shinji said something about seeing what was left, if anything, of Rei's old apartment. Apparently the area's been re-opened to the public." Asuka looked over her magazine from her position on her bed.

"Why didn't you go with them?" Misato asked, hoping the reason wasn't Rei.

"Why, so I can watch those two slobber all over each other." The redhead shook her head. "Gross."

__

'Well, at least it wasn't **just** Rei.' Misato stayed in the doorway a bit longer debating whether to discuss the idea she came up with while in the bath with Asuka now or later.

"Was there anything else you needed Misato?" Asuka asked impatiently.

"Well… yes. Yes there is." She walked into the room and stood next to the bed waiting for the redhead to sit up. Realizing she wasn't going to do it voluntarily, she asked, "May I?"

Finally, Asuka sat up grudgingly, "What is it?"

"Well, I've been thinking about what Command Fuyutsuki said about appointing an assistant OD to groom to become the OD in a few years. And… "

"And you want to appoint Rei so you want to know if I'd be willing to pilot Unit 00." Asuka finished. "Thanks but no thanks. Though I live to pilot Eva, to pilot anything other than my Unit 02 would be like eating frozen fishsticks after you've eaten fatty tuna."

Misato smiled. "Actually, I was hoping to appoint you as my assistant."

This got Asuka's full attention as she placed her magazine on the bed. "Pass that by me again."

"I'd like you to be my assistant. If you'll accept the position of course. You don't have to answer right away. Take your time and think it over." Misato stood up and began walking out. 

"Why?"

She turned around and looked questioningly at her ward.

"Why me? Why not Ayanami? Is it because I lost my Eva… because you need a reason to keep me here… keep me around?"

Misato pondered her questions for a moment then sat back down. "I'll admit, Rei did come to mind first. Her technical knowledge of NERV operations and the Evas is second to none. But I honestly don't see her being able to command the respect and authority she would need, with how soft spoken she is. You've already graduated college, so getting up to speed should be no trouble for you. And your outspoken nature should make it easier for you to command the respect you need to do this job. As far as giving you a job just to keep you around. The decision to go or stay is yours alone. I've selected you because with the proper training I think you would make an excellent Operations Director." Misato patted the redhead on the knee and got up to leave again. "Think about it."

As she reached the door she heard from behind.

"Misato."

"Yes?" She turned.

"Thanks… for having confidence in me."

The woman smiled and walked out.

2016

Four months since Third Impact

---

Asuka and Rei walked with purpose down the corridors of NERV: Rei, in her plug suit and Asuka in a uniform similar to Misato's but with a scooped neckline and a little longer skirt.

"This is such a waste of time." The Assistant OD grumbled.

"How so?" The Pilot replied.

"These stupid sync tests after each stage of Unit 00's development are an incredible waste of time."

"Safety protocols dictate that synchronization testing be performed at each stage of development to ensure reject of the pilot does not occur, especially during the incorporation of the S2 engine."

"Yes, I know but Ritsuko has deliberately shortened the stages, creating more of them."

"She must feel it is safer to progress at a slower pace."

"Don't get me wrong. I don't want anything bad to happen to you but this level of safety is simply absurd."

They walked in silence for several minutes.

Finally Rei inquired, "Do you suspect there is another motive for the frequency of these tests?"

"Well… every time we run the sync tests, development is delayed by three days. I think it's a funding issue. I don't think we have the money to continue Unit 00's development at its normal pace."

"What evidence do you base this conclusion on?"

"Call it a hunch."

"A hunch?"

"Yeah a hunch. You do know what a hunch is, don't you?"

Silence

Asuka sighed. "Well, now you have something new your boyfriend can teach you."

Having reached an adjacent corridor, which would take Rei to the test platform, down the right and Asuka to the test control room down the left, they stopped and faced each other. 

"Well, good luck with your test Pilot Ayanami."

Rei paused a moment. "I am confident all will go well Lieutenant Souryu."

They turned and went their separate ways.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it (A sequel to Random1377's, Crimson and Azure)

Chapter 2

2016

Six Months since Third Impact

---

"Well, what do you think?" A very excited Misato asked, gesturing around the very spacious apartment.

"Wow! This place is huge!" Shinji exclaimed, walking around the apartment with Rei in tow. "How many bedrooms does it have?"

"Four, one for each of us. And a separate living-room and family-room." She said with a hint of giddiness.

"What is a family-room?" Rei asked.

"Yeah?" Shinji added.

"It's like a casual living-room. It's where you go to hang out or watch television; it's a western thing." Asuka answered, walking around taking in the atmosphere of the place.

"How can you afford this place?" She asked.

"Apparently there is a huge salary difference between Operations Director and Sub-Commander. My new salary just kicked in and I got paid in arrears. So I had more than enough for the first, last and security."

"So when can we move in?" Shinji asked. Misato looked out the window. "Right now." Everyone else went to the window to see what she was looking at. A moving truck had just pulled up and began unloading. She opened the window and waved. "Up here guys!"

The crew chief waved back and instructed his men to haul the stuff up to their apartment. 

The Children all looked at her. She shrugged and gave a guilty smile, "I couldn't wait. Tehehehe."

"Wow! Have you seen the size of the bedrooms?" Shinji yelled.

"And they each have their own bathroom, including a shower."

"This is far more space than I require." Rei observed.

"Then you won't mind if I place some of my stuff in your room will you First Child." Asuka stated with a sly grin.

Before Rei could agree or protest, Misato said, "That won't be necessary Asuka. You can put any of your things that don't fit in your room in the study."

"Still in storage, hey." Asuka said, her disappointment was readily evident.

"No, the study is yours. You'll need it for all the work you'll be bringing home."

"Don't remind me."

"WOW! Take a look at this kitchen!" Shinji hollered. 

"Mmm, plenty of counter space for preparing a feast… saaay for a celebration party." Misato grinned wickedly.

"Party?" Asuka replied suspiciously as she walked over to the refrigerator and opened it to find it well stocked with YEBISU. "What, was a full fridge of beer part of the lease agreement?"

"Nooo." Misato taunted. "I had it delivered the minute I signed the lease. "Tehehehehehe"

"Misato, ever hear of Alcoholic's Anonymous?" Asuka shot back.

"Asuka, ever hear of Bite Me!?" Her boss retaliated.

2016

Nine Months since Third Impact

---

Misato and Asuka sat in Commander Fuyutsuki's office (which was once Commander Ikari's office but much better lit now) watching a tape of the UN committee's report on the new NERV charter. With the chairman still making his closing comments, Fuyutsuki turned off the monitor. The three of them sat silently for what felt like an eternity.

Unable to take the silence any longer Misato stated. "So the European and American branches will be dedicated to land reform and urban renewal. Interesting."

Asuka immediately jumped in. "Fancy titles for farmers and construction workers. What a waste of Eva technology."

Misato shot her assistant a look that said, **'Not in front of the Commander.'**

While still staring at the monitor the commander responded. "Your absolutely correct."

Asuka gave Misato a, **'see, I told you so'** stare.

"Evas were built to battle angels, not to perform menial labor."

"But the UN has yet to decide what we should be used for. The outcome isn't inevitable, is it commander?" His second in command asked.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." He turned and looked squarely at Misato. "I will be leaving for New York in the morning. I need to convince these bureaucrats that Unit 00 and Unit 01 are too valuable to be used for moving rubble and planting rice. You're in command until my return."

Misato stood up and saluted. "Yes sir, you can count on me."

"Good. Dismissed." Asuka got up and started following Misato out of the office when the commander spoke. "Miss Souryu, will you wait a moment."

"Yes sir." She turned to address her commanding officer. 

As the door closed behind Misato, the commander continued. "How have your been getting along with your other roommates, since becoming Assistant Director of Operations?"

Asuka paused for a moment. _'What an odd question for him to ask.'_ "Fine sir, just fine."

He continued. "I know of your former hostilities toward Miss Ayanami. I hope that is still not an issue… for either of you."

__

'What the… ' "No sir. Miss Ayanami and I have… resolved our… differences." 

"You are aware of her origins, are you not?"

__

'Where is he going with this?' "Yes… yes sir. I am."

"Rei is … very special to me." He turned and looked out the window of his office. "She always has been… The former commander feigned concern for her but in reality only saw her as a tool for his needs. Because of this Rei was discouraged from exploring and developing her feelings, her emotions. Anything that did not forward her purpose was a waste of her time. Or so Gendo thought. It pained me to see this bright, intelligent, beautiful child grow up emotionless and cold. But now her purpose is her own. She has the opportunity to experience life, to experience emotions. I know Shinji is aiding her in this endeavor but he has his own issues he still needs to deal with." He turned around to face Asuka once again. "I know of the heartache you've suffered as well. Kyoko was one of my dearest friends. The day of her accident I wept for her. The day she died… I wept for you." 

Asuka's lips trembled and her vision became just a little bit blurry. 

"You have all had a difficult time of it; far more difficult than any child should ever have to endure. But I ask of you… for her sake … for your sake, try and get to know Rei Ayanami. You may just be thankful someday that you did."

Asuka gave the slightest of nodes. "Is that all sir?"

"Yes Asuka, that is all."

The young redhead turned and walked out of her commander's office.

Three days later

---

Asuka walked out of her study to find Rei finishing up her homework at the dinning-room table. Rei looked up and asked, "Will the Major be arriving soon?"

"Hmm? … No, I don't think so. With the commander in New York, she has twice her normal responsibilities until he returns." She stretched and let out a small yawn, then looked around and asked, "Where's Shinji?"

"He went to Suzuhara's house to watch something called, wrestlemania." The crimson-eyed girl replied.

Asuka took a whiff of the air. "And you let him go without making him fix dinner first? What were you thinking?" She yelled.

"I can prepare us a meal if you require." Rei stood and began putting her books away.

"No thanks. I prefer food with taste." Thinking what the commander told her three days ago she continued, "Hey Rei, let's go out to eat, my treat."

"That is not necessary. There is an ample supply of food here." Rei replied calmly.

Asuka's jaw dropped. "Are you serious? Wait, of course you're serious. Think who you're talking to Asuka." She sighed. "Okay Rei, just because you don't need to eat out doesn't mean you can't eat out." 

Rei stared at Asuka totally devoid of expression.

"Okay, I know for a fact you used to go out to dinner with Commander Ikari. Don't tell me you only went out because you didn't have food at home?"

"No, I went because the commander instructed me to. He was my superior officer."

"Well, I'm your superior officer now aren't I?"

"Are you commanding me to accompany you to dinner Assistant Director?"

"No." Asuka breathed. "You know, just forget it. Forget I even mentioned it." She turned and headed for her room. "What was I thinking?" She grumbled to herself. "Trying to relate to that girl is like trying to relate to a block of wood." She slammed the door behind her. "'**Get to know her**'… right. I know all I need to know. '**Thankful someday**' … yeah right… thankful my ass."

Rei couldn't make out everything Asuka was saying but she could tell it was about her. And it wasn't nice. She lowered her head and grabbed her book bag as she started walking to her room. Suddenly, Asuka's door flew open and the fiery redhead rushed out and headed for Rei. The normally subdued girl hardly had a chance to gasp as the redhead grabbed her wrist and dragged her towards the door. The suddenness of the action and the force with which Asuka pulled her caused her to drop her bag.

"My bag."

"Forget it, you can pick it up later."

"Where are we going?"

"Out to eat! I'm hungry!"

She pulled her captive out the door and slammed it shut.

Sitting at a table for two, Asuka asked. "Have you ever eaten at an Italian restaurant before?"

"No."

"Well, I'm sure this won't be nearly as good as the food I got to eat during my week in Milan but I hear it's as good an Italian restaurant as you're going to find in Japan."

Silence hung in the air for several minutes.

"You have been to Italy?" Rei inquired with a hint of genuine curiosity.

"Yeah, I got to go as part of a field trip in college."

Rei nodded and was silent once again.

"That is quite an accomplishment, graduating college before your fourteenth birthday."

"Yeah… well, I was highly motivated… then." Asuka scanned the room as if she were looking for someone.

"Are you uncomfortable talking about yourself?" Rei queried.

This brought the redhead's attention back to her dinning partner. "No, not normally." She gave a half grin.

"Are you uncomfortable talking about yourself with me?" Rei followed up.

__

'Damn straight.' Asuka looked Rei squarely in the eye, raising an inquiring brow. "Let's talk about you for a minute. I've seen your records. You scored a 185 on your IQ exam, impressive, very impressive. Why didn't you go straight to college? Why waste your time at junior high?"

Rei thought how to answer her enquiry for a moment then proceeded. "Because former Commander Ikari did not feel it was necessary. All I was required to learn was taught to me at NERV headquarters."

"So why did you even bother attending school at all?"

"For appearance purposes."

"Wouldn't you like to go to college? I mean with your IQ…"

"College would not be a challenge for me. I could have scored much higher on my IQ test but I was instructed not to."

"Much higher! So you really are a genius aren't you Wondergirl."

"Please do not call me that." Rei stated flatly without sign of anger or frustration.

"Oh… s…sorry." Asuka diverted her eyes.

"So you only did what the commander told you? What he said would further your purpose?"

"Yes."

"Why? You were your own person. You could have done what ever you wanted to."

"I was created to fulfill a purpose. If I was incapable or unwilling to fulfill that purpose, I could easily have been replaced. Though I was myself, an individual, I had no value beyond my purpose."

"Man, that's harsh."

Silence hung in the air again.

Finally the food arrived.

"Well, Buono l'appetito." The redhead said in flawless Italian.

"Ringraziarlo."

Asuka smiled.

As the two teens walked home from the train station, Asuka asked. "So how was the vegetarian lasagna?"

"Quite… flavorful. I think I will need to learn how to prepare that particular dish."

"See, I told you it pays to eat out even if you don't need to."

"I concur with your reasoning… now."

They walked a ways in silence.

"So what about now? Do you see yourself having value, having a purpose to live?"

Rei thought for a moment then stated. "Shinji is my purpose. I have value because I am able to bring joy to Shinji's life."

Asuka mulled over what her companion just said, then replied. "Well, I guess he's one lucky guy to have someone who holds him in such high esteem."

They continued the rest of the way to the apartment in silence. Just as Asuka placed her key card in the lock to open the door, Rei said, "Thank you Asuka, for … for taking the time to spend with me. I … thank you."

"Hey, don't menti… " She reconsidered her response. "You're welcome, Rei. I had a good time. I hope you did too."

Rei searched her feelings then replied. "Yes, yes I did."

"Good." Asuka opened the door and they walked in.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it (A sequel to Random1377's, Crimson and Azure)

Chapter 3

2016

One year after Third Impact

---

"Did we forget anything?"

"You have checked six times already." Rei replied. "If we have, we will simply have to do without it."

"What about a blanket?"

"We have two in the basket."

"Do we have enough food?"

"We have enough food to feed the entire day staff of NERV."

"What about utensils?"

"My love, we have all we need for a weeks travel, let alone a single day in the country."

Shinji smiled. He couldn't help but turn to jelly whenever she called him that. "Okay, well let's go."

"Are you going to inquire if Asuka would care to join us, once again?"

Shinji looked over from the kitchen table to the family room where Asuka was watching television. "She already said no twice. I really don't think she's going to change her mind."

"Perhaps, but she did not know Hikari would be out of town when you asked her last. It is possible she may wish to accompany us now."

"Well, I'll try." He headed over to the family room.

"Hey Asuka, we're leaving now."

"Have a great time." She replied not taking her eyes off the television.

"Are you sure you won't join us? It'll be fun."

"Are you deaf? I told you twice already, I don't need your charity or your pity. I'll be fine here by myself."

"O… Okay." Shinji turned, heading back towards Rei who was carrying the basket. He shrugged his shoulders then reached for the basket. Rei handed it to him then walked past him and into the family room and over to the television. She reached down and turned it off then stood in front of it so Asuka couldn't turn it back on.

"Hey, you Bi… Rrrr… I was watching that!" Asuka jumped to her feet and glared at her roommate. 

"Shinji and I would very much appreciate your company in our outing to the country side. Will you accompany us?" Rei stated staring at the redhead blankly.

"I already told your idiot-boyfriend, I don't need your pity. I'm fine on my own. Now move before I throw you out of my way."

"It is not for your sake that I ask. It is for my own."

Asuka gave her a skeptical stare.

"You and I, we are not the same people we were before Third Impact. I find that I have grown accustom to the presence of your company. I have learned to appreciate your candor and I am beginning to understand your brash sense of humor… I think. We would… I would genuinely appreciate your company this day. Would you reconsider?" The blue-haired girl's expression never betrayed a hint of sentiment.

Asuka tipped her head sideways and lit a faint smirk cross her lips, finally saying, "I'm learning to like you too Rei." She turned and headed to her room. "Give me a minute to change." 

Shinji walked towards the family room as Rei was walking out. He smiled warmly. "You never cease to amaze me."

Rei walked up to him and kissed him gently on the lips. "I hope the same will be true years from now."

"Okay! You guys are going to keep **that** to a minimum while I'm around. **RIGHT!**" Their roommate shouted from her room.

They turned toward her room and wondered how she could know what they were doing with her door closed.

2017

One year and six months after Third Impact

---

Shinji sat on a swing in the park. Rei at on his lap with her eyes closed. With one hand around her waist, Shinji reached into his pocket with his other hand and pulled out a jewelry box. 

"Okay, you can open your eyes now." He smiled.

Opening her eyes slowly, she saw the purple velvet rectangular box her boyfriend was holding up in front of her. 

"What is this?" She asked.

"A gift, for you." He replied.

"But what is the occasion?" She turned to look at him, with a slight inquisitive look in her eyes.

"I love you. Isn't that enough reason to buy you a gift." He smiled.

She smiled back warmly to him and kissed him. "Yes, thank you my love."

Returning her kiss passionately, Shinji finally said after they separated, "Well, aren't you going to open it?"

Prying her eyes off of him, she turned toward the box he still held in his hand. Taking it from him, she opened it. Smiling warmly once again, she said, "It is a bracelet."

"A diamond tennis bracelet to be exact." Shinji corrected, reaching inside the box and removing the item he unclasped it and held it for Rei to put her wrist over it. Understanding his intention, she did as he wished and he clasped it for her. 

Holding it up to the sunlight she turned her wrist left and right admiring the gift. "It is lovely. Thank you my love. Thank you for loving me so." She turned and hugged him tightly.

As they sat gently swinging in the light breeze holding each other tight, Shinji got up the nerve to ask his love what he had been meaning to talk to her about for some time now.

"Rei, I was wondering…"

"Yes my love? She pulled back enough to look into his eyes.

"I was wondering if you'd consider asking Doctor Akagi to postpone the activation test tomorrow." He asked, diverting his eyes just slightly.

"But why my love? All tests to this point indicate that the final activation tomorrow should go without error. What is your concern based upon?" 

"History I guess. I just remember the first time you activated Unit 00…"

"That is not possible. You were not in Tokyo3 yet when Unit 00 was activated the first time." She replied.

"Well, I may not have actually witnessed the first activation but I saw you the next day. And I saw first hand the injuries you suffered. I'm just afraid of a repeat. I don't want you to get hurt." A serious and sad expression crossed his face. "I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you again."

Gently caressing his cheek, she smiled at him. "My love, Doctor Akagi has taken every precaution in the reconstruction of Unit 00, in addition, Asuka will not allow any harm to come to me. Of this, I am certain."

Giving her a weak smile he nodded his head. "I know you're right. I just can't shake this feeling that something terrible is going to happen tomorrow."

Contemplating how she could possibly reassure her boyfriend, Rei stood up and removed the tennis bracelet from her wrist and held it out for him to take. 

"What's wrong? Don't you like it? Did I say something to upset you?" He asked nervously.

"No my love, but I am unable to wear it during the activation test tomorrow. I am returning it to you now and I expect you to present it to me once again, after the successful activation." She smiled.

Understanding what she was trying to do, Shinji smiled back. "Okay Rei." He took it from her and placed it back in the box then stood up and took her hand as they walked down the trail. "Tomorrow, I'll give it to you, tomorrow."

They walked in silence for a time before Shinji asked. "What would you like to do now?"

Rei responded instantly. "Some ice cream would be nice." She smiled.

"Let me guess, pistachio almond flavor."

"Of course."

"You know Rei, there are other flavors of ice cream out there."

"But why should I sacrifice my taste buds to a flavor I will not enjoy nearly as much as pistachio almond?"

"But how do you know you won't enjoy it as much if you never try any other?"

"Because I already know I enjoy pistachio almond."

Shinji sighed. "I'm never going to win this argument, am I?"

Rei just smiled, then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Perhaps someday… but not today."

The next day

---

"How are you feeling Rei?" The Assistant Director of Operations asked, her mentor standing behind her and to the left, watching her successor perform the final activation test for the new and improved Unit 00.

"All is well. I do not detect any resistance what so ever." The pilot replied.

Her boyfriend and fellow pilot stood at the observation window watching intently and clutching the small rectangular jewelry box tightly between his hands as the final phases of the test were carried out; his fears for her well-being expressed in every part of his body. 

"Commence final activation sequence." The redhead ordered. 

The systems operator released the final safeguards and opened synchronization limits to 85%. 

The tension in the control room was so thick Misato was sure she could feel it penetrating the pours of her arms and face. Commander Fuyutsuki made no attempt to disguise the nervousness he was feeling as he rose from his chair and stared at the monitors.

"Okay Rei, it's all up to you now." Asuka said. _'Good Luck my Wondergirl.'_

"Understood." Was all Ayanami said.

The systems operator began relaying the readings. "Synchronization at 20%, 24% 28%… 48%, 56%. Eva has been activated."

The operations officer reported. "All connects are fully established."

"Sync ratio approaching 70%, 73% 77%, 79%."

Misato leaned over and whispered to Asuka. "This is better than Rei has ever done, even in battle." Asuka nodded.

"Sync ratio at 82%."

"All systems operating normally." 

"Rei, how do you feel?" Asuka asked, needing to hear her voice to know she was all right.

There was a long pause that caused Asuka's heart to race just a bit. Shinji, whose heart was already racing, was near panic when his love did not answer.

Then came, "I feel… I feel at home." A sigh of relief filled the control room. 

"Okay Rei. You've already surpassed your previous best sync ratio by over 15%; lets call it quits for the day. You can go after Shinji's record another time." Asuka said in an effort to lighten the mood.

"Very well."

"Sync ratio coming down, 75%, 65% 55%, 43%, 33%… Eva Unit 00 is offline. All systems shutting down normally."

"Drain the LCL and remove the entry plug." The young redhead ordered.

"Yes ma'am."

She turned to her mentor. "How was that?" 

"Couldn't have done it better myself." Misato extended her hand to her assistant who took it into hers and pulled her guardian into a warm embrace.

"Thank you… for everything." The young woman whispered. 

Her guardian smiled. "I always knew you could do it."

Asuka broke the embrace and looked over to the observation window. "Where's Shinji?"

"He left the minute you ordered the test finished. I'm guessing he's over at Unit 00 by now."

Asuka walked over to the window and looked down to see Rei being helped out of the entry plug and a second later being lifted in the air in an overly enthusiastic embrace by her boyfriend. While the girl was still dripping in LCL, it didn't deter the boy one bit as he kissed her passionately. Then she saw the boy hold out a jewelry box. _'Oh my god!'_ She watched him open it and pull out the bracelet. Then she saw Rei hold up her wrist and shake her head, obviously telling him she couldn't put it on with her plug suit on. Asuka smiled down at them. _'Shinji you idiot.' _She observed the boy take his girlfriend by the hand and lead her from the testing chamber.

The commander called down to Ritsuko, "Dr. Akagi, good work. It appears the new Unit 00 is even better and more stable than the original."

"We still have many more tests to run but thank you commander."

"Congratulations to you too Major." 

"Thank you sir."

"I think you've all earned a break for all your hard work. Take the rest of the day off, paid." 

"But sir," the doctor protested. "The data still needs to be analyzed."

"Tomorrow is another day doctor. And the data will not be going anywhere. Enjoy the rest of the day. You deserve it. All of you." The commander gestured, in an effort to make it clear that his comment was intended for everyone and not just his two department heads.

As the commander left the test center, Misato grinned wickedly, "Well, I think this calls for a celebration." Turning towards her assistant, who was walking back toward her, "What do you think Asuka?"

"Definitely!" The redhead smiled.

"Great, party at my place. And everyone's invited... that's an order." She grinned as she and her ward headed for the exit.

The junior staff members were completing their shutdown procedures when one of them asked Maya. "Was she serious about a party at her place?" He asked hopefully.

Maya didn't answer; instead she turned and deferred the question to her boss. Ritsuko sighed. "Yes, she's serious alright." 

The junior staff cheered and laughed.

__

'Misato, you're such an idiot.' The doctor grinned to herself as she walked to the exit. Turning back she informed the rest of them. "If you want something other then beer to drink at the party, I suggest you pick it up yourself." Then she left with the intention to stop at the convenient story to pick up some wine.

Later that night

---

The apartment was filled with NERV staff as well as Asuka and Shinji's friends. Shinji spent most of his time in the kitchen preparing hors d'oeuvres. 

Maya, Hikari and a few other young women from NERV and from school stood around Rei admiring her bracelet, talking to her about her relationship with Shinji and basically making her feel terribly uncomfortable.

Asuka walked into the kitchen with a tray full of empty glasses and quickly placed them into the dishwasher. Uncorking another bottle of wine she began filling clean glasses. "I can't believe Misato suckered me into this." She said, standing next to the boy.

Shinji gave a silent laugh. "I don't know, I have fun seeing other people having a good time." He replied as he was putting the finishing touches on his latest shrimp and mushroom creation.

"You would you idiot." She teased. 

To that the boy just laughed.

"So how did she like it." The redhead asked.

"She loved it." The boy smiled.

"See, I told you so." She grinned triumphantly. "Women love jewelry. It's a universal constant, like gravity."

"I guess so. And thanks for helping me pick it out. I was afraid she'd think it was too much but she just loved it."

"Do I have great taste or what?" The redhead's smile grew. Hearing Misato scream then laugh, her expression got a little serious. "You know, you better get out there and rescue your girlfriend from the other women out there. Rei's not used to so much attention. I think another minute of all those girls hovering around her and she's bound to blow a fuse."

"You thinks so?" Shinji started wiping his hand with a towel. 

"Definitely. She needs her knight in shining armor right about now."

"Okay, but I still haven't finished these hors d'oeuvres." He pointed out.

"Don't worry about it. I'll finish them up, you go rescue your girlfriend." She smiled at him.

"Thanks Asuka." He said and without thinking leaned in as he passed her and kissed her on the cheek then proceeded out of the kitchen.

The redhead silently gasped and turned bright red. Looking after the boy as he left the kitchen, she knew instinctively that he hadn't even realized what he had done. "Idiot. Wait till it finally hits you. I bet you'll apologize at least… 4 or 5 times." Having filled the glasses, she turned to the hors d'oeuvres Shinji was working on. "Hmm, they look good to me." She picked one up and popped it in her mouth. "Mmm, delicious. But it could use one more thing." She opened the refrigerator and grabbed a can of whipped cheese. Shaking the can up, she sprayed the contents over the shrimp and mushrooms. Setting the can down she picked up another hors d'oeuvre and popped it in her mouth. "Mmm, guilty pleasures." She then lifted the tray up on one hand and the tray of wineglasses up in the other. "Well, if I ever blow it as OD, I can always get a job as a waitress." She laughed to herself as she walked out of the kitchen.

Shinji spotted Misato, drunk as ever, fawning all over Rei and her new bracelet. While some of the other older women who also had a little too much to drink joined in on the teasing of the young girl, the other's, mostly Rei's classmates were trying to hide their embarrassment over the adults' crude behavior. 

"So Rei, I guess this means it's time to put out hey." Misato grinned wickedly.

"Put what out?" The blue-haired girl asked.

"Sex silly girl, time to show your man how much you love him." Maya added.

Rei instantly turned bright red as her heart rate doubled and her breathing accelerated. 

"Okay Misato, you've had enough fun at Rei's expense." Shinji said, putting a protective arm around his girlfriend's shoulder. "Go find someone else to torment." He added as he drew her away from the crowd in the family room.

Finding a secluded corner in the living room the young couple sat down to rest. 

"Thank you my love." She leaned over and kissed him softly.

"Anything to protect the woman I love." He replied as he ran his hand through her hair.

"Shinji, may I ask you a question?" A serious expression crossed her face.

"Sure my love." His expression mirrored hers. "What is it?"

"Did you give me this gift in hopes of having sex with me?" She asked sadly.

Shinji turned as red as Rei had been earlier. "No Rei. I swear the thought never entered my mind. Really."

The blue-haired girl gently pressed her fingers to his lips. "I believe you my love. I believe you." Seeing him calm down, she moved her hand from his mouth and caressed his cheek. "Thank you once again for the lovely gift."

From the entryway of the living room Asuka, Hikari and three other girls stood watching the young couple. "See, what did I tell you. You can't trust a word that comes out of Misato's mouth after she's had more then five beers." Asuka stated.

"I knew Rei wasn't that kind of girl." Insisted Hikari. 

"Come on, let me show you my study." Asuka led the others away.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it (A sequel to Random1377's, Crimson and Azure)

Chapter 4

2017

One year and 10 months after Third Impact

---

"I can't believe those bastards." Asuka growled as she quickly flipped though a rack of dresses at one of the more exclusive shops in Tokyo3. 

"There is no sense in getting angry over something you have no control over." Rei responded as she took her time to look at each article of clothing critically.

"But it's been almost two years and they still haven't come up with a charter for us. This is total bullshit." Asuka gave up with that rack and moved to another.

"It has taken this long for the world economic system to stabilize once again. Perhaps that is what they have been waiting for."

"I guess, but meanwhile we've lost some good people who've grown tired of sitting and waiting for our charter to be decided. Here, what about this."

Rei looked at the dress Asuka was holding up. "The style is acceptable but the color does not suit me."

Asuka looked at the dress and asked defensively, "What's wrong with red?"

"The color is too bold for my pale skin. Besides, we are celebrating our second anniversary as a couple, I do not wish to give Shinji the idea that I am ready to forgo my virginity."

Asuka chuckled. "I guess it is kinda like waving a red cap in front of a raging bull."

Rei paused a moment then responded. "Precisely."

Two days later

---

Rei and Shinji walked hand in hand down the path toward the water fountain at the center of the park. 

"Did you enjoy your meal?" The lovely 16-year-old asked.

Shinji gave an enthusiastic, "Yes, very much. I'd never eaten Italian food before." They walked a short ways. "How did you learn about that restaurant?"

"Asuka took me to it once. I found the food there most, flavorful."

Shinji laughed silently. "Yes, it was very flavorful." _'Can she tell how nerves I am?'_ He wondered.

"Auu, did you enjoy the concert?"

"Yes." Rei watched her shoes reflect the light from the lamps along the path. "I find the works of Hirokazu Hiraishi most stimulating."

"Good." Shinji replied. _'I think.' _"Well, here we are."

Rei looked up at the brightly-lit fountain. "It is… beautiful."

"Yes, it is," Shinji agreed then turned to her, "but not half as beautiful as you."

She turned her head to meet his gaze and gifted him with a warm smile. He returned the gift and leaned in to kiss her passionately. Breaking the kiss, he gestured to the bench behind them. Sitting, they admired the fountain and each other's company for about a half-hour. 

__

'You can do this Shinji, you can do this. Just remember that you love her and she loves you. She won't say no. She won't. In fact, she already said yes once before. This'll just be… making it official is all. Right, official, nothing to worry about. So why am I so scared?' He slid a trembling hand into his suit pocket and turned to his true love. "Rei?"

"Yes Shinji." She turned her attention from the fountain to her boyfriend

"I have something important to ask you and … well… this isn't easy for me, so… so, please let me finish before you respond. Okay?"

She nodded her compliance. _'Oh no. After two years, he has grown impatient waiting for me to allow him access to my body. I am simply not ready yet my love. Can you not understand that?'_

Shinji took a deep breath and began. "We've been a couple now for two years and with the exception of when I thought you were dead, twice, and when you didn't remember me," _'man, what are you doing? You're depressing yourself.'_ "these have been the happiest two years of my life."

Rei gave a guarded smile. _'BUT…'_

"I know we're only sixteen but I want to make sure this happiness never ends." He pulled out a small velvet box from his pocket. "Now you don't have to answer right away. Take as much time as you need." He opened the box and turned it to show her its contents. 

She followed his gaze down to his hand. A momentary look of confusion crossed her face. _'A ring? A ring. An engagement ring.'_ Her eyes grew large as she shot a stare back into his eyes.

"Rei… will… will you marry m… "

"Yes." Tears rolled down her checks. "Yes." She pulled him into her arms. "Yes! I will marry you my love. I will marry you." She buried her face in the side of his neck and wept as never before.

"Rei? Wha… what's wrong?" Confusion and concern washed over the young man.

She shook her head as she tried to find her voice. "You have made me the happiest woman in the world at this moment."

Shinji smiled and pulled her tighter into his embrace.

When the tears subsided she looked up and kissed him with all the passion and love she had buried in her heart for him. Several minutes later as their lips parted, Shinji took hold of her hand and slid the 3/4-carat solitaire onto her finger. 

She marveled at it as it shimmered by the light from the fountain. "It is beautiful."

"Not nearly as beautiful as you are."

She gave him a smile of pure joy and kissed him once again.

After sitting in each other's arms in silence for several minutes, Shinji asked, "I couldn't help but notice your expression before I purposed. What did you think I was going to ask?"

Rei turned bright red with embarrassment for thinking what she did. "I thought you were going to inform me of your desire to consummate our relationship. I am sorry for thinking so little of you. I… " She pressed her face into his chest and wept. "I am so sorry."

Shinji stoked her hair and rocked her gently. "It's okay Rei. It's okay. I can wait as long as it takes. If that means waiting till our wedding night, then so be it." _'What the hell am I saying?'_

"Thank you Shinji. Thank you for understanding."

__

'Damn!' "It's alright." _'Oh hell, she's worth it. I'd wait till forever for you Rei.'_

An hour later

---

They kissed once again before Shinji opened the door to the apartment. It was late so they walked quietly to their bedrooms, kissing once more before retiring to their separate rooms.

After removing her silk-shawl and placed her shoes back in their box. She looked at her ring once again and headed out her room.

Asuka lay awake as usual, whenever Shinji and Rei went out on a date. Rei had gotten in the habit of coming into her room afterwards and telling her of their time together, usually asking her to explain any new experiences or feelings she happened upon during the date. Asuka was certain tonight of all nights would be no different. _'Two years, two years, they've been together now for two years. That's a year and ten months longer then I thought it would last… Stop that Asuka. That's petty and you're not petty… Still, two years together and in those two years I've had no one. I have my friends and my family. They are my family. I love them, all of them dearly. So why do I feel so alone?'_ She closed her eyes. _'Maybe I'll pretend to be asleep tonight. Just this once.'_

Like clockwork, she heard a gentle rap at her door. "Asuka, are you awake? I really need to speak with you." Rei whispered.

There was urgency in her quiet roommate's voice that was not normally there. Asuka sat up and answered. "Sure, come on in."

Rei entered and closed the door behind her. "May I turn on the light?"

__

'Another unusual request.' Now the redhead's curiosity was peaked. "Yeah, go ahead." She shaded her eyes till they adjusted to the light. "How was your date?" She asked.

Rei came and sat next to her roommate. "Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful."

Asuka was in shock. _'Wonderful? She never uses words like that and… she's smiling, no she's glowing. She's absolutely glowing.'_ "Did you guys do it?" She asked with eyes as big as saucers.

Confusion spread across he blue-haired girl's face for just a moment. "Do what?"

__

'If it were anyone else, I'd think she was teasing me.' "You know… have sex."

"NO! No, definitely not." She said turning from her friend as her face turned bright red.

"So what was sooo… wonderful?" Asuka yawned.

"This" Rei held out her hand.

It took a moment for Asuka to realize what she was looking at, but when it finally registered. "Aaaaaaa!!!" She pulled her friend's hand closer to get a better look. "Aaaaaaa!!!" Then she threw her arms around the girl in the royal blue dress in a smothering embrace. Every muscle in Rei's body tensed up. "He asked you to marry you! He really asked you?!" 

Still tense Rei responded. "Yes."

"I'm sooo happy for you." She jumped out of bed and darted out of the room, running over to Shinji's room, she flung open the door to find Shinji in the process of removing his shirt. 

"God! Asuka, you scared me to death!" He clutched his heart.

She screamed once again, causing him to jump in shock a second time. Then she engulfed him in an embrace and kissed him suddenly. "I'm so happy for you!" She squeezed him again. "Congratulations!" Then just as suddenly she release him and he collapsed onto his bed then down to the floor, frantically trying to catch his breath. Asuka ran back to her room where she grabbed Rei, who was standing at the doorway, and dragged her toward Misato's room. 

Suddenly Misato's door flew open and the purple-haired woman stood blurry-eyed with her gun aimed at everything and anything. "What's happening? What's all the screaming about?" She yelled.

"God!" Asuka screamed as she and Rei jumped back. "Put that stupid thing away before you hurt someone you maniac!" Asuka commanded.

Realizing there was no danger Misato set the safety and tossed the gun on her bed. "So what's the reason for all the commotion at one in the morning?"

"This!" Asuka said, thrusting Rei's hand in Misato's face.

The woman looked at the ring on the young woman's hand then over to her face to see the angelic smile she bore. "You and Shinji?" She asked.

Rei nodded but Asuka yelled. "No! Her and I! Of course her and Shinji!"

Ignoring Asuka's comments, Misato smothered Rei in an embrace as she screamed in excitement. Once again the blue-haired girl went stiff all over.

__

'Informing them at this time of night may not have been such a good idea.' She told herself.

She kissed her young ward on the cheek. "Congratulations" as she squeezed her even tighter.

Rei felt the air rush out of her lungs and was saved only when her guardian spotted Shinji stepping shakily out of his room. She instantly released the girl, who almost collapsed if not for Asuka, and ran over to the boy.

Spotting Misato heading towards him, he tried to turn and run back in his room; fear written all over his face. But she caught him before he could take a second step. Squeezing the life out of him, she screamed, "I'm so happy for you!"

"Thank you Misato." He squeaked out. "Now please let me go, I can't breath."

"Oh" She released him as he tumbled to the floor gasping for air. She bent down and helped him back to his feet. "Sorry" she giggled.

No one in the apartment got any sleep that night.

2017

Two years since Third Impact

---

All NERV personnel were assembled in the auditorium. Misato and her wards, Dr. Akagi and Maya were among those at the front, closest to the stage.

Rumors of the UN charter had been buzzing around the facility for months. Finally, Commander Fuyutsuki walked to the center of the stage to put the rumors to rest. As he turned to speak, everyone fell silent. "At 0600 hours Eastern Standard Time, today, I was contacted by the UN chartering committee chairman. A decision has been made. The Asian branch, us, will head the United Nations' space program." Murmuring instantly broke out. The commander waved his hand to quiet everyone down. "We are chartered with the building of a permanent manned space station in earth orbit and for exploring the feasibility of establishing mining colonies on the moon. "This will be a dangerous yet important task that we must succeed in for the benefit of all mankind. And because of its importance, the UN has tripled our funding. For all of you who have struggled to get by these past two years, your patience has been rewarded." Applause erupted. Again Kouzou gestured for quiet. "Details concerning our new charter will be sent to all department heads to be passed down on a need to know basis. Thank you." And he walked off the stage.

The air was a buzz with excitement.

"Space! How exciting is that?!" Shinji said.

"Hehe. I thought you'd say something like that," teased Misato.

"I fail to see the source of your excitement. Space travel is wrought with peril. And the margin for error in its frozen vacuum approaches zero." Replied a very serious Rei.

"I don't know, dangerous or not, exciting or not; it still sounds like mining and construction to me." Asuka added.

"Who knows Asuka, maybe as we begin to colonize space, we'll run into some hostile alien force we'll have to fight." Misato teased.

"Now that would be exciting." The redhead responded.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: See the Prologue

Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it (A sequel to Random1377's, Crimson and Azure)

Chapter 5

2018

Two years and five months since Third Impact

---

At a small ranch twenty miles from the city of Kazuno at the base of Mt. Hachimantai, in the Akita Prefecture, in the Tohoku Region. Three sixteen-year-old friends walked with the rancher over to the stable and saddled up three horses. Asuka secured the saddle like a seasoned equestrian while the rancher assisted Rei and Shinji.

"This is going to be great." Asuka said unable to restrain her anticipation any longer.

"I'm glad you think so." Shinji replied, not attempting to hide his fear of the large animal in the least bit.

"These are my three best horses. All very well behaved. You should have no trouble what so ever." The rancher assured them.

As they walked the horses out of the stable, Asuka turned to address her companions. "Now watch me for a minute. I'll show you how it's done." She mounted her steed and rode slowly around in plain view, giving simple instructions on posture, position, turning and stopping.

Confident they assimilated what they needed to know, the two teens mounted their horses and tried it out. Shinji took to the horse like a fish to water. Riding about and turning left and right without a problem. Rei on the other hand was having some difficulty. Initially failing to pull hard enough on the reins to alter the animal's direction, then overcompensating and pulling too hard which caused the beast to rear up and buck, sending the girl unceremoniously to the ground.

Shinji quickly dismounted and ran to her side but she was standing by the time he reached her, dusting herself off.

"Rei, are you alright? You're not hurt are you?" Concern etched in his face.

"Only my pride." She assured him.

"She's fine. Just don't pull on the reins so hard. That's all." Asuka informed.

"I don't think this is such a good idea Asuka." Shinji looked over to his friend who was still on her horse.

"Nonsense. Haven't you ever heard? The most important thing to do when you get thrown from a horse is to get right back on."

"Why is that?" Rei inquired.

"Because, only quitters give up. You're not a quitter, are you Rei?"

Without hesitation she replied, "no," then walked up to her horse and prepared to mount it again.

"Rei!" Shinji grabbed her arm. "Are you sure about this?"

She turned and covered his hand with hers, reassuring him. "I will be fine my love. Come, we are here to enjoy ourselves." She smiled warmly at him.

He nodded and let her go, returning to his own horse. After they remounted, the rancher gave them the directions to the natural hot springs that rested in the valley between the mountains. They thanked him and rode off.

After riding for about an hour, they came to a stop at the plateau that overlooked the valley. Asuka pointed in the direction of the path they needed to take. "If we follow that path down to the valley, it should take us right to the springs."

"Wouldn't we have a better time just taking in the scenery up here?" Shinji nervously asked.

"What? Embarrassed to share a spring with two beautiful women?" Asuka goaded. 

"To be perfectly honest. It does make me a little uncomfortable. I mean you're my friend Asuka. Do you really want me to see you naked?"

__

'I am unsure I care for the notion of my fiancé seeing you naked, Asuka.' Rei thought but refrained from commenting.

'Steal a peek and I'll clobber ya.' The redhead warned, shaking her fist in his direction. "Now let's go." She turned her horse to the left and began following the path down. Shinji did the same as did Rei but once again she pulled too hard causing the horse to spin around and loss its balance, which in turn caused Rei to loss hers. She fell sideways and extended her hand to break her fall. Her loud scream of pain brought both the other riders back to her in an instant. Asuka dismounted and was by her side first.

"Where does it hurt?" The redhead asked as she slowly ran her fingers over the arm Rei had clutched close to her body.

The blue-haired girl grimaced in pain. "I believe I broke my radius… and … dislocated my shoulder." She managed to say through gritted teeth.

"Alright, just stay still." Asuka instructed. 

"Rei! Are you all right?!" Shinji cried out.

"I am afraid not my love." She grimaced again. "I fear I have ruined our vacation." She whispered as she fought the pain.

Asuka got up and ran over to her horse, grabbing her phone out of her saddlebag, she tried to call the rancher's house. "Damn! No service."

Meanwhile, Shinji removed his shirt and used it to secure Rei's arm to her side. "I am sorry my love." She whispered to him as he checked his handy work.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. Accidents happen sometimes." He tried to reassure her.

"But this was no accident." 

"What do you mean?" A puzzled expression crossed his face.

"This was caused by my carelessness. I repeated my error from earlier. I should have known better." 

Shinji smiled at her and caressed her face. "It just goes to prove that you are human, just like the rest of us."

Rei smiled up at her love before grimacing again in pain.

"Okay, bad news. I can't pick up a signal out here. We're going to have to ride back." Asuka informed them.

"But Rei can't ride like this." Shinji yelled.

"I know. That's way she'll ride with me." Asuka walked over to them. "Can you stand up?"

"Yes, I believe so." Her companions helped her to her feet, and then Asuka mounted her horse and brought it around next to her. 

"Now, hoist her up to me." She extended her hands ready to receive her passenger. Shinji grabbed Rei by the hips and lifted her light frame up high enough to reach the saddle. Asuka grabbed her and guided her into position. "Okay now put your arm around me and lean into my chest… Right, like that." She walked the horse around to make sure they were both stable. "Okay Shinji, grab the reins of her horse and bring him along." 

Shinji did as she instructed and they slowly made their way back to the ranch. After a few minutes, Rei said. "Stop. Something is not right." 

Asuka came to a stop. "What's wrong?" 

"I do not now but I am beginning to feel light headed and my elbow is starting to hurt. It did not before."

"Here let me take a look." Asuka began to undo the sling. 

"What's wrong?" Shinji asked tensely as he pulled up next to them.

"That's what I'm trying to find out." Asuka said, gently lifting Rei's arm to take a look at her elbow. "Damn." She re-secured the sling. "You're bleeding internally. You bone must have nicked a vein or artery. We don't have time to waste. We need to ride and ride hard."

"I understand." Rei held on firmly as Asuka road as fast as she dared to with Shinji trailing behind. 

As the ranch came into view, the redhead slowed down and called over to the brown-haired boy, "Shinji, try and call again. Tell him we need a chopper fast." Then she sped up again.

Shinji came to a stop and called the ranch. "Yes! Mr. Miyazaki, we've had an accident. Miss Ayanami has broken her arm and is bleeding internally. Is there a hospital in Kazuno that has an emergency chopper? Good, call them. Tell them that NERV Eva Pilot Rei Ayanami has suffered a broken arm and dislocated shoulder and is bleeding internally. Tell them to contact NERV headquarters at Tokyo3. Miss Ayanami has special medical needs that only NERV can provide. Yes. Yes, we should be there shortly. Thank you." He hung up and road as fast as he could.

Shinji waited in the hallway for the doctor to come out and inform him of Rei's condition. Asuka, who had to ride to the hospital in the rancher's truck because there wasn't enough room on the helicopter, came running down the hall. "Shinji!" She yelled the minute she spotted the forlorned boy. 

He pushed himself off the wall and walked into her embrace, pressing his head onto her shoulder as he struggled to fight back the tears. "What? What is it? Is she all right? What happened?" She struggled to fight back the panic that started to take over her emotions.

"She lost consciousness on the helicopter ride over here. They're trying to stabilize her but they can't give her anything until the supplies come from NERV. I'm scared Asuka. I can't loose her, not now, not like this. I can't, I just can't." Giving in to his sorrow, his tears began to flow freely.

"Shhh, its alright Shinji." Asuka stroked the back of his head and held him close. _'I have to be strong for him. He needs me to be strong.'_ "Everything is going to be alright. Rei is too strong to let herself fall to something like this. Have faith in her. She'll be alright." 

Just then three men in NERV security uniforms came running down the hall, one carrying a medical cooler. Right behind them was Dr. Akagi and Colonel Katsuragi. 

"Doctor, please, save Rei. Don't let her die." Shinji pleaded, removing himself from Asuka's embrace. 

"Don't worry Shinji. We'll take good care of her." She said as she rushed past him and into the surgical unit. Misato came to a stop in front of her two wards. "Shinji, Asuka, don't worry. Ritsuko won't let anything happen to Rei. I'm sure of it." She gave them a reassuring smile. "How are you two holding up?" She asked, placing a comforting hand on each one's cheek. 

"Not so good." Asuka replied after realizing that Shinji was to upset to respond. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Misato lowered her hands and took each of theirs. "Let's find the waiting room and get a cup of coffee, okay. I know I sure could use some." Asuka started walking in the direction Misato was leading them but Shinji stayed fast.

"I want to be here for Rei. I need to know how she is." He said with a shaky voice.

"Ritsuko will call me on my cell phone the minute she has any news on Rei. Come on, I'll get you some tea. A little tea will do you good." Her guardian reassured him. Grudgingly, Shinji allowed himself to be guided to the waiting area.

The three of them sat quietly at a table, Shinji staring down at his reflection in his tea. _'Who am I? Who am I without Rei? She permeates every facet of my existence. Can I exist without her? Would I even want to try?'_

"So what exactly happened?" Misato finally asked.

Asuka responded, "She was thrown from her horse."

"It's my fault." Shinji spoke, still looking down at his tea. "I should have insisted we not go riding especially after she got thrown the first time."

"No Shinji." Asuka shook her head. "It was my fault. If I hadn't insisted on going horseback riding in the first place... I'm sorry Shinji… sorry." She buried her face in her hands.

Watching her two wards slipping deeper into depression, Misato tried to lighten the mood. "Well, at least you guys reacted quickly and got her to the hospital as fast as you could. I'm sure she'll be fine. This is Rei we're talking about." She smiled.

Both children tried to meet her cheerful grin with an equally optimistic expression but both failed miserably. Silence settled over them once again. Twenty minutes later, Misato's phone rang. Shinji immediately jumped to his feet. 

"Yes." Misato answered. "So she's okay?" She gave the two teens the thumbs up sign along with a big grin. Anticipating Shinji's thoughts, she asked. "When can we see her? … Really? … That's great. … We'll be right there."

"Can we see her now?" Shinji asked.

"As soon as you're ready. She's in room 606, east wing." Before she could say another word, Shinji was down the hall heading for the elevators.

Arriving at room 606 well before the others, Shinji was taken aback by what he saw when he entered the room. Rei was sitting up, her arm in a sling and her forearm in a cast, carrying on a light conversation with Dr. Akagi. She seemed in good spirits, even smiling ever so slightly at the doctor. "Rei, are you alright?" Shinji asked as he approached the bed.

"Shinji my love, " her smile grew at the sight of her fiancé. "Yes, I am fine." 

He sat on the bed beside her and took her left hand into his, caressing the back of her hand to his cheek and kissing it softly. "I was so afraid I was going to lose you my love. I was so scared."

Rei turned her hand over and slid her fingers under his chin, gently lifting his face to meet her gaze. "I am fine my love. Ask the doctor if you must."

"Doctor?" Shinji shifted his gaze over to Ritsuko.

"She's fine Shinji, in fact, she was never in any real danger to begin with." She assured him.

"What do you mean?" He asked. "She was in so much pain and she lost consciousness."

That was simply her body protecting itself. Rei's heart rate slows dramatically while she sleeps. And with her reduced heart rate her body was able to begin the process of mending the injured artery. The internal bleeding had all but stopped by the time I arrived. She needed a small transfusion but basically it was simply a process of resetting her shoulder and setting her arm in a cast." 

"Well, thanks for giving us all a good scare for nothing." Asuka announced as she and Misato entered the room having heard most of Ritsuko's explanation. 

"Misato, you came as well." Shinji wasn't completely sure but he thought he heard a hint of surprise in Rei's comment.

"Well, of course. I couldn't just sit at home with one of my children injured." She replied with a smile.

This elicited a small but noticeable smile from Rei. _'She thinks of me as her child.' _This thought warmed her heart.

"Well, now that the family reunion is complete, I'll be heading back to Tokyo3." Ritsuko announced. "Take care Rei."

"I shall Doctor. Thank you." She replied as the doctor walked out of the room.

The redhead's expression softened as she approached the bed. "I'm sorry Rei." She bowed her head unable to make eye contact with the blue-haired girl's piercing crimson eyes. 

"For what?" Rei responded.

__

'What, are you stupid?' "For insisting that we go horseback riding. If I hadn't, none of this would have happened." 

"Asuka, I have no one to blame but myself. I repeated my earlier error and when I was thrown I extended my hand to break my fall." Rei stated matter-of-factly. 

Asuka smiled weakly. "Thank you Rei," not fully convinced by the girl's proclamation.

Rei smiled back. "Thank you Asuka, for the experience. I look forward to trying it again."

"You're not serious?" Shinji exclaimed. "You don't really want to go horseback riding again?"

Rei tilted her head looking deeply into his eyes. "Of course. I enjoyed it very much. And did not Asuka say it is imperative to remount when thrown."

"But that was before you were…" Shinji started to object.

"It does not matter that I was injured. I am not a quitter." Rei assured him.

"Well, enough talk about horses, how do you feel? Are you hungry?" Misato asked.

"Yes actually." Rei replied.

"What would you like?" Misato asked.

"Some ramen would be nice." The blue-haired girl replied.

"Okay, anyone else want anything?" The sub-commander asked. Shinji and Asuka both shuck their heads. "Okay, well then I'll be right back." She started for the door but when she glanced back and saw the loving way in which young couple was looking at each other, she walked over by Asuka and whispered to her. "Why don't you come give me a hand."

"For a bowl of noodles?" Asuka snapped.

Misato glanced over to the young lovers then stared over to the door. Asuka got the hint. "Well, we'll be right back." She paused momentarily, waiting for a reaction from them. Seeing them lost in each other's gaze, she sighed and walked out the door to join Misato.

They walked down the hall in silence as Misato stole a few glances at her ward. Finally, unable to take her silent melancholy any longer, she asked, "Is everything alright Asuka?"

Shaken from her muse, Asuka turned toward her guardian, "Yeah… yeah, sure. I'm… I'm just glad she's alright, you know." She gave a half grin.

"Yeah, so am I." Misato replied. _'Okay Asuka, if you don't want to talk about it now, that's fine. But whenever you're ready… I'm here for you.'_


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it (A sequel to Random1377's, Crimson and Azure)

Chapter 6

2017

Two years and seven months since Third Impact

---

"So this is it?" 

"Yep. It isn't true Zero G but the magnetic fields generated in the walls, ceiling and floor, come very close to simulating it. So, who's going first?" Asuka asked.

Shinji smiled at Rei. "Ladies first."

She gave him a serious and stern look. "That is an archaic and sexist remark."

Shinji bowed his head in shame. "Sorry… I didn't mean to… "

Rei stepped toward him and caressed his cheek. "But thank you for the gesture." She said with a warm, loving smile then she leaned in and kissed him tenderly.

"Oh brother." Asuka sighed. "Okay lovebirds, get suited up. Rei, get to your Eva and we'll get started."

Four hours later, Rei had completed every task they had her perform with near flawless perfection. 

"Okay, Rei, return Unit 00 to the cages. Shinji, go ahead and get in Unit 01, and we'll get start." Asuka instructed from the testing center's control room. 

"In a minute Asuka." He replied, wanting to see his fiancée before he entered his Eva.

Three minutes later Rei exited the entry plug and was working her way down the gantry calmly until she spotted her future husband at the bottom. Instantly she seemed to change from a calm and composed pilot to a giddy schoolgirl as she bounded down the last few step and into his arms, pressing her lips firmly onto his. The force with which she ran into him caused him to spin around with her in his arms to keep from falling over backwards. 

"Mmmmm, what was that for?" Shinji asked smiling down at the light of his life as they finally separated.

"Four hours is too long to be apart from you. I needed to feel your lips, feel you love." She replied as he obliged her by kissing her again, pulling her tighter in his embrace.

When they finally separated, he asked, "so what was it like?" 

"It is difficult to describe. My only advice would be to keep your movements small and evenly paced."

"We're waiting Third Child!" Came Asuka's voice over the loud system.

"COMING!" Yelled Shinji. "Well, I guess it's my turn. Will you wait for me?"

The blue-haired girl raised her eyebrow, "do you really need to ask?"

He caressed her cheek and shook his head. "No, no I don't. See you in a few hours." He kissed her once again and headed for Unit 01. Rei stayed and watch him enter his Eva and head over to the testing facility before she turned and headed for the locker rooms to shower and change.

Nine hours later Shinji was doing as poorly as he was when they started testing at noon. Asuka was beyond having lost patience with him, resulting in Misato and Ritsuko conducting the tests for the past three hours. And now they had had enough for one day. 

"Okay Shinji," Misato said. "That's enough for one day. We'll pick up again in a couple of days." Misato informed him, fatigue and frustration plainly evident in her voice.

"Just a little longer Misato." Shinji insisted. "I know I can do this. Just once more okay."

There was a long moment of silence. During which time Shinji was certain Misato was going to insist he return his Eva to the holding cages so he started coming up with arguments to stay longer. Just then he heard a soft voice that definitely did not come from Misato, Ritsuko or Asuka. "Proceed."

He smiled and continued to attempt the simple component assembly without bouncing off the walls and ceiling this time, not concerning himself with who gave him the order.

Four hours later, Shinji completed the task. While the assembly was not nearly as symmetrical or stable as the one Rei had assembled and disassembled twice during her testing, it was complete. This made the young male pilot ecstatic. "I did it! Misato, Asuka did you see that? I did it!" He paused a moment admiring his handy work. After a few minutes he repeated, "Misato? Asuka? Are you guys there?"

"No my love. They are not here." A very familiar and loving voice said.

"Rei? Where is everyone?" The confused young pilot asked.

"They have all gone home for the night." She informed him.

"Is there anyone else there with you?" He asked.

"Miss Ibuki was here until midnight but was beginning to fall asleep so I instructed her to go home." She answered.

"What time is it now?" He asked.

"It is five minutes after one." She said calmly.

__

'One in the morning?' "When did everyone else leave?" 

"The remaining staff departed at nine, shortly after Misato first instructed you to retire for the day."

__

'Nine? One in the morning? I started at Noon. I've been here for thirteen hours and this is the best I could do?' "I'm pathetic." Shinji whispered softly, not intending for his girlfriend to hear him.

"You are not pathetic my love. You simply… lack balance." She tried to re-assure him. "I will teach you balance, but now return Unit 01 to its holding cage so we may go home."

__

'Balance? I lack balance?' "Okay Rei." He did not understand his loves statement but obeyed her nonetheless.

2017

Two years and eight months since Third Impact

---

Standing in front of the wall size mirror in the fitting area of the bridal shop, Ritsuko admired the bridesmaid's dress she was wearing, turning left and right to get a look at it from all angles. "I can't believe this day has finally come." She said.

Maya stepped up next to her, giddy with excitement. "This is so exciting." She said replicating her mentor's movements in front of the mirror.

Asuka came up on the other side of Ritsuko. "What's so exciting about having to spend hours getting fitted for a dress that is as ugly as the day is long." She scowled, while admitting to herself. '_Well, it may be ugly but I look damn good in it.'_

"It's not that bad Asuka." Maya said.

"PLEASE!" Asuka frowned deeply.

"I just can't believe they're finally doing it." The good doctor injected.

"No kidding. I would have thought they would have gotten married the day after Third Impact." Asuka added.

"Well, with all her new responsibilities, I guess they had to take their time." 

"I suppose."

Just then they heard their friend coming from the changing area and turned to see her as one of the seamstresses followed close behind her.

"I do not understand." Rei turned to face the seamstress. "You took my measurements over 3 months ago. Why is this dress made to fit someone three sizes larger than me?" She asked while holding her hands above her breasts to keep it from falling off her. 

"Don't worry ma'am. If you'll just step up here." The seamstress pointed to the platform in the middle of the room. "I'll make all the necessary alterations." Rei did as the woman instructed but it did not curb her frustration.

"This is a complete waste of time." Rei concluded.

"That thing is huge on you." Asuka fought to keep from laughing out loud. _'She looks like a little girl trying on her mothers dress.' _She mused.

"This is what I informed them." She glared at the woman who was pinning up the dress. In looking back up at the other women in the bridesmaid's dresses she saw her image in the mirror. "What possessed Misato to choose this color. I am completely washed out in it." She observed.

"You look good." Maya told her.

Still looking at herself in the mirror, "do you really think so?"

Before Maya could response, Asuka interjected. "No, she's just being polite."

"That is what I thought." Rei asserted frowning even more.

"Don't listen to Asuka." The doctor assured her. "You will look fine. We all will." She turned back towards the mirror. _'What were you thinking when you chose this color Misato?'_

Later that day at the Rising Star Café in downtown Tokyo3

---

"So, what do you guys think of the bridesmaid dresses? Be honest." Misato grinned, hoping they loved them as much as she did when she selected them.

The four women gave each other a knowing look and smiled. "They're great Misato. You've got great taste." Ritsuko lied to her friend.

"Hehe, thanks." The purple-haired woman smiled from ear to ear. "I especially liked the color. It's really different, don't you think?"

"It is something else, definitely." Rei said, Asuka and Maya each took a sip of their tea to keep from laughing out loud. 

"I can't believe we're finally getting married." Misato giggled. "This is so exciting."

"I can't believe it either. It's taken the two of you long enough." Asuka stated.

"What Asuka, jealous?" Misato grinned playfully at the redhead.

"WHAT!" Asuka's face turned bright red. "I… It's not like that… Really… I'm so over him, it's not funny."

Misato just kept grinning at her.

"I am!"

"Well," Misato sat back and took a sip of her coffee. "You're more of a woman than I am. I could never get over him."

Asuka gapped.

"But way now." Rei asked taking attention away from the flustered redhead.

"Well, we would have liked to have gotten married sooner but we still had some issues to deal with. But with those things behind us and with Asuka's seventeenth birthday coming up in a few more months, we thought this was the perfect time." The sub-commander replied.

"My birthday? What's that got to do with anything?" A confused Asuka asked.

"Well, you've been my assistant for almost three years now and both the commander and I agree that you are ready to assume the full responsibilities of Operations Director. Though UN regulations minimum age requirement says the position must be held by someone at least eighteen years old, we felt that with your background both as a college graduate and an Eva pilot, an exception could be made." 

Asuka was too shocked to speak. She knew she would be replacing Misato as Director eventually but she was sure it wouldn't happen for at least another year or two. 

"Congratulations Asuka." Rei said, taking her friend's hand. 

"Yeah, congratulations Asuka." Maya smiled.

"Well, it won't be official for another 4 months but congratulations anyway." Misato smiled. "You surpassed all my expectations Asuka. You really should be proud of yourself."

Ritsuko just nodded her approval and held up her cup of coffee for a moment toasting Asuka's promotion.

Asuka quickly recovered, gave a cocky grin and said. "Well, of course, I was the best pilot, why would you expect anything short of excellence from me as Director."

Ritsuko rolled her eyes and Maya just shook her head but Rei and Misato knew those were just words used to maintain the Asuka mystic. The look of genuine gratitude in the back of her eyes told them how very grateful she really was.

Ritsuko looked at her watch _'we can have just enough time if we hurry' _and said, "as much as I'd like to stay and chat, Maya and I need to get back to headquarters. There's still lots of work to do to get the Eva's ready for the vacuum of space." She reached for her purse but Misato assured her she had it covered.

"Thank you Misato." Maya bowed respectfully, smiling at her supervisor, she followed her away from the café.

After sitting quietly for a few minutes Asuka finally spoke. "Misato, there is something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Yes?" The sub-commander put down her cup and gave her ward her complete attention.

"Well, after you marry Kaji, where are you or rather, where are we going to live? I mean, he's not going to move in with us is he? Not that I'd mind but…"  


"What, and give you the opportunity to steal him from me? Not a chance." Misato teased.

Asuka gasped.

"You do not actually believe that Asuka would attempt to have an adulterous affair with your husband-to-be? Do you Misato?" Rei pondered out loud. 

"No Rei. No, I don't. I'm just teasing her." Misato reassured her.

Misato's ability to turn a serious discussion into an opportunity to embarrass her wards never ceased to confuse the blue-haired girl. And while Misato assured her she didn't believe Asuka to be the adulterous type, Rei could not help but keep that thought in the back of her mind.

"Actually, he and I will be moving into a new apartment. Two floors above you guys." She grinned.

"Are you serious?" Asuka made no attempt to hide her surprise.

"Yeah, I liked our apartment so much I insisted on staying there, or at least in the same building. And he agreed. Besides, you guys are my family as much as Kaji will be. I couldn't stand being far from you all." She smiled warmly. "I love each of you so very much." She brought her napkin up to her mouth to stifle a whimper. 

"Now don't you get all weepy on us Misato." Asuka commanded. "How are we supposed to maintain respect for our sub-commander if she's going to turn into jelly just… " Asuka stopped in mid-sentence when she saw Rei stand up and walk over next to Misato. 

Misato looked up at her, her expression saying _'what is it Rei'_ without words. 

"You love me Misato?" Rei asked in all seriousness. "You love me in the same manner in which you love Asuka? In the same manner in which you love… Shinji?" The only expression betrayed by the girl's face was a slight quivering of her lips.

Misato stood up and faced her, stroking the side of her head and caressing her cheek. "Yes Rei, I've grown to love you as much as them. You're one of my children." She smiled at the young pilot.

What Misato saw next was totally unexpected. It was as if a wall came crashing down as the blue-haired girl broke into tears and began to weep and quiver all over as she hugged the older woman fiercely, pressing her face into her chest. Misato held her close and stoked her delicate hair gently as her tears rolled down her checks. 

After several minutes Rei slowly pulled away from Misato, looking up into her eyes and she asked, "May I… may I… I never… I never had a… a…" Tears welled up in her eyes once again as she feared what she was about to ask may be too much, even after Misato's declaration of love, but she pressed on. "May I call you… call you… call you…mmm…mmm" 

Misato spared her the heartache. "Rei, nothing would make me happier than to hear you call me your mother." She crushed the young girl to her once more as they wept tears of joy once again. Asuka sat at the table, a faint smile on her face with her hands under her chin as her tears rolled unchecked down her face.


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it (A sequel to Random1377's, Crimson and Azure)

Chapter 7

2017

Two years and ten months since Third Impact

---

Once again Rei persuaded Asuka to go shopping for a dress to celebrate her third anniversary with Shinji. But this time she decided to purchase a whole new wardrobe. As they searched through the racks of dresses Rei asked. "Is it traditional to have so many flowers in the chapel for a wedding?"

"In a western wedding it is." Asuka replied, not looking up from the task of searching for a suitable dress for tomorrow evening.

"Are western weddings very different from traditional Japanese weddings?"

"Well, yes I suppose they are."

"How so?"

Asuka stopped searching as she considered the question. "Well, for one, what the bride and groom wear is completely different. In a traditional Japanese wedding both the bride and the groom wear wedding kimonos, also, in a Japanese weddings you don't have bridesmaids and escorts."

"So it is not as lavish an affair?" The blue-haired girl inquired.

"Oh no, its lavish alright, just in a different way." The redhead assured her.

She nodded. "I see… What do you think of this." The young pilot held up dark purple dress.

"Now, I like that. You should try it on."

"I shall." She put it over her arm and continued searching.

Later that afternoon

---

Shinji was sitting quietly in the family-room watching television when the door opened. 

"You girls back already?" He asked as he made his way towards the door. "So Rei, what type of dress did you get this tiiiiiii…" His voice died as his eyes were glued to his fiancée's hair. "Rei what did you do to your hair?"

"Do you like it?" She turned her head from side to side, granting him a warm, wide smile.

"I think it looks great." Asuka said coming in, her arms filled with bags just as Rei's were.

"And what are all these bags?" He asked, his eyes wide in shock.

"New clothes and accessories I purchased for myself."

"All of it?" 

"That's right boyfriend, all of it." Asuka said in a teasing tone as she walked pass on her way to Rei's room.

There, she slid the door open with her foot and deposited all the items save one on Rei's bed. "Okay, almost all."

"You did not answer my question." Rei grabbed Shinji's attention again. "Do you not like my new hairstyle?" She turned all the way around to give her boyfriend a good look.

"Well, yeah, its cute… "

"But… " 

"Well, its just different, that's all." Shinji added.

In reality, it was not all that different. Rei simply had her ends cut evenly into a neat bob and her bangs shortened so they were out of her eyes, but for someone whose hair always looked a bit unruly, this was a significant change.

"Well, of course it is different silly. That is what happens when one gets a hair cut." She smiled.

"I supposed, it's just… "

"You do not like it." The young blue-haired girl's smile vanished.

"No, no, its cute, I do like it. It's just… different. That's all." Shinji tried to reassure her.

"And different is a bad thing?" A hint of confusion crossed her face. 

"No, no, not always." He clarified.

"I am glad." She smiled once again as she leaned in and gave him a warm, loving kiss. "Now if you will excuse me. I need to put this items way." She turned and walked to her room.

"So… " Asuka paused waiting to get Shinji's attention. He was still standing dumbfounded in the middle of the foyer. "What's for dinner?" She asked.

"I… I haven't started it yet." He said with a blank expression.

"Oh, okay." She continued on to her room swinging her shopping bag idly as she walked. Opening the door she turned and said, "maybe we can just order out." Then she closed her it behind her, leaving it opened just a crack.

__

'This is wrong. This isn't how my Rei is. This isn't right.' Shinji remained frozen in the foyer, staring toward Rei's bedroom. Slowly he shifted his attention to Asuka's room. _'And I have a pretty good idea who's to blame for it.'_ A scowl spread across his face as he marched toward her room. Without knocking, he walked into her room and closed the door behind him.

Asuka gave a small gasp as she looked up from hanging her new outfit as she heard her door open and close. "Hey! What's the big idea coming into my room without permission?" She gave her intruder a false look of sternness.

"What do you think you are doing?" Shinji accused.

Asuka's playful look disappeared. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Rei and your attempts at changing her into someone she's not. She's not your plaything Asuka. So stop trying to make her into something she's not." Shinji commanded.

After getting over the shock of Shinji's accusation, Asuka set her new outfit down and glared daggers at the boy. "I don't know where you got this crazy idea you idiot but I'm not trying to change Rei into anything. In case you failed to notice, what Rei is going through is called maturity. She's growing and changing all on her own and if you weren't such an idiot, you would have noticed it a long time ago!"

"Don't tell me you haven't been doing your part to help her with her '**_growth_**'. Taking her shopping, taking her to dinner when I'm not around."

"For your information you **moron**, she asked me to go with her shopping, not the other way around. And so what if we go out to eat together once in a while. Neither of us likes to cook, or are any good at it. Big deal!"

"I just can't imagine why you've warmed up to her all of a sudden. You used to hate her with a passion, now you're best buds. Or did you decide you'd try to make her your own doll to play with." Shinji accused.

Asuka gasped. "I can't believe you said that about her. She's not my doll but guess what stupid. She's not your doll either, so deal with it!" She snapped.

Shinji's voice grew deep and low, "stay away from her, do you hear me. I don't want you messing with her anymore."

"Get out." Asuka demanded. "GET OUT NOW!"

"You better do what I say." Shinji demanded as he turned to walk out the door.

"GET OUT!" She screamed again, as she collapsed on her bed after he closed her door behind him. "You bastard." She whispered, clutching her pillow to her chest. "You unbelievable bastard."

As Shinji walked from Asuka's room over to Rei's room, the woman he claimed to love walked out and past him as if he were not even there and headed straight for Asuka's room. She entered without knocking as well.

"You people better stop doing that." The redhead whispered as she glared at the other girl.

"I apologize of entering without permission but I must speak with out." Rei said calmly as she approached Asuka's bed. She knelt down next to the bed so her eyes met Asuka's. "Do not listen to Shinji's words. He does not know of what he speaks. I do not know why you decided to stop hating me and chose to be my friend and I do not care. All I know is that you are my dearest friend and I do not wish to lose this relationship we have. Not for Shinji, not for anyone." Rei reached out and touched Asuka's hand, holding it firmly in hers. 

Asuka smiled and gave a half laugh. "I think that's the most words you've said at one time all day." She wiped a stray tear that managed to escape her eye as she sat up still holding Rei's hand. A very serious expression crossed her face. "You know you may not care why I stopped hating you but I think maybe you deserve to know." She patted her bed as a gesture to ask Rei to sit next to her. The blue-haired girl obliged. 

"I guess I stopped hating you when I realized how much that idiot truly loved you. Regardless of the names I call him and the way I may treat him, I do respect and care about him and I guess I figured if he saw something in you worth loving then you couldn't be all bad." She gave a weak smile.

"So that is when you decide to try and be my friend?" Rei asked.

"No, I wasn't ready to go as far as trying to be friends with you. I just stopped hating you with a passion." Now she bowed her head with a touch of shame. "It wasn't until some time after Third Impact, when I was in Commander Fuyutsuki's office." The memory of the words he spoke that day came back to her.

__

"You have all had a difficult time of it, far more difficult than any child should ever have to endure. But I ask of you… for her sake … for your sake, try and get to know Rei Ayanami. You may just be thankful someday that you did."

"He said I should try and get to know you. He said I may the thankful someday that I did." Asuka smiled up at Rei. I guess there's a reason he's the head of NERV. That old man knew what he was talking about. I am thankful I've gotten to know you Rei. Since Third Impact you've become my best friend. I'm just sorry I didn't give you a chance sooner."

Rei smiled. "I did not give you much of a chance before Third Impact either. For this I am sorry. You are so very special to me Asuka. Please never stop being my friend." 

"Never." Asuka smiled as the two girls embraced. "All always be your friend Rei. Always."

Separating moments later, both girls wiped their eyes dry. 

"You know, Shinji that idiot is right about one thing. You have changed. For the better I think." Asuka assured her. "You've learned how to express your emotions."

"I've come to understand my emotions. I did not before." Rei explained. "Commander Ikari kept me emotionally undeveloped with his lies. It was not until I began to fall in love with Shinji." She paused. "Shinji, I must deal with Shinji now." She started to stand but Asuka held onto her hand, drawing her friend's attention back to her.

"Don't be too hard on him. He may be an idiot but he's an idiot that loves you. He just needs to understand that you are your own person. Okay?" Asuka assured her.

Rei smiled. "Do not worry." She gave Asuka's hand one last squeeze and released it then she walked out her door to deal with her boyfriend. 

Shinji, who had stayed right where he had been when Rei walked past him until a minute ago, got up from the sofa in the living room when she exited Asuka's room. He walked up to her, his hands extended out to embrace her. What he got from her sent him reeling back. He rubbed his cheek in an effort to stop the stinging pain as he stared at Rei in shock.

"How dare you assault our commanding officer like that? How dare you assault our friend like that?" Rei's tone remained unchanged. "And how dare you refer to me as a doll?"

Rei expected Shinji to apologize; Rei was ready to accept his apology. Rei was ready to embrace him and tell him she loved him even before he apologized. What Rei wasn't ready for was what Shinji did instead. Instead of apologizing, Shinji turned and walked out the door, letting it slam behind him. Rei stared at the door in disbelief. 

Moments later, Asuka came out of her room. "What happened?"

"Apparently I miscalculated Shinji's reaction." Rei replied. "Perhaps, the changes I am going through are more than Shinji can bear." Her tone got very soft. "Perhaps, he does not love me as he once did." This thought made her feel physically ill, as her shoulders stooped and her legs began to buckle. Asuka was over by her side in an instant, supporting her and guiding her to the sofa. 

"Now don't even think that. Of course he still loves you. He… he's just too stupid to realize it, that's all. Give him a little time. He'll figure it out soon enough. You'll see." Asuka assured her.

Rei looked up at her, tears running freely down her face. "What if you are wrong? What if … "

Asuka pulled her close and shushed her. "Now stop that. Of course he still loves you. Not even Shinji could be that big an idiot not to see and appreciate what a wonderful person you are. You'll see, he'll be coming through that door any minute now. We'll just wait here until he does."

2am that night

---

Shinji walked in the apartment as quietly as he possibly could, not wanting to wake anyone. He made his way to his room, grabbed his duffel bag and started putting his clothes in it. Stopping when the bag was half filled, he walked out his room and looked over at Rei's room. Slowly, he walked over to it and slid the door open. Walking in he knelt down next to her bed staring intently at her face. 

__

'She looks so very peaceful while she sleeps, so beautiful, so angelic. What am I doing? What on earth am I doing?' He began to weep. 

Hearing his gentle sobs, Rei opened her eyes and whispered. "Shinji, is that you my love?"

He looked up at her with eyes filled with sadness unable to respond.

"You scared me my love." She reached out and touched his sweet face. "I feared you would never come back." She drew closer to him. "I am so very sorry for my hurtful words and for striking you. Please, please forgive me." Her tears welled up once more as she pulled him into an embrace. "I will try my best to be the person you fell in love with three years ago, just do not leave me. I cannot bear the thought of living without you. Please tell me you will stay, please." She clung to him fiercely as she wept.

Finally, finding his voice, Shinji responded. "No."

Rei gasped.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. You were right. I had no business speaking to Asuka like that, and I… I love you as you are. I don't want you going backwards. You've grown so much. I'm just sorry I didn't even realize it. I just … I was taking you for granted and not even noticing the wonderful changes you have been going through. Can you forgive me? I love you so much. I never want to leave you. Please forgive me. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." He wept in his love's embrace. 

She gently pulled him in bed with her as their lips met and for the first time in their three-year relationship she knew the time was right and she was ready.

Shinji didn't sleep a wink that night. That night for the first time in their three-year relationship, they made love. It was slow and tentative at first, both afraid of hurting the other. For nearly an hour they let their hands and lips explore each other's bodies. As they grew in confidence, their actions became more passionate. Afterward, they spent a time gently touching each other's face and hair, whispering words of love and commitment, and sharing sweet, light kisses. As the hour past 4:00 a.m., Rei slowly slipped back into a sound sleep. Shinji, aided by the soft glow of the streetlights lay next to her, his head propped up by his arm as he stared at her. Seeing her like this brought a warm happy smile to his face. 

Now, at 7:00 a.m., as the early morning sunlight crept into the room, Shinji gently brushed small strands of arrant hair from her face. Gradually, Rei's eyes fluttered open. Seeing her lover lying next to her brought a joyful smile to her face. "Good morning my love." She whispered as she caressed his cheek. 

Shinji leaned in and kissed her blissfully. A few moments later after their lips parted, he said. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"I am not." She moved her hand to the back of his head and gently pulled him back down to her as they kissed again. 

As they kissed they both became aware of a shower turning on. As the parted, a serious look crossed the boy's face. "Rei…"

"I understand. I shall take a shower. Why don't you commence breakfast? That should give you the time you need with her." She said, stroking the side of his face.

"Thank you." He smiled at her and kissed her once again before getting out of bed. Dressing himself quickly, he headed for the kitchen, washed his hands, and started making breakfast.

About a half an hour later Asuka emerged from her room dressed in he uniform. She headed straight for her study where she gathered up some papers and placed them in her soft leather briefcase, then she went to the kitchen. 

"Good morning Asuka." Shinji gave her a weak, apologetic smile.

Not bothering to look at or acknowledge Shinji's presence at all, she opened the refrigerator and pulled out two pears and placed them in her briefcase. 

As she turned to leave the room, Shinji called out. "Asuka please wait. There's something I need to say to you."

"What? Apologize for your stupidity yesterday. Forget it, I already forgave you for that." She continued walking toward the door. 

"Wh-where are you going?" The boy asked.

"To work of course. Unlike you pilots, I've got enough to keep me busy all the time." She continued walking. "By the way, movers will be coming to get my stuff later on today."

"Movers! Why?" Shinji began to panic. 

"Why do you think idiot? To move me to my new apartment." She finally turned around and looked at him. While he wouldn't have been surprised to see either anger or rage in her eyes despite her claim of having forgiven him, he didn't expect to see sorrow. "I don't want to be a point of contention between you and Rei. I think it's best if I left. And don't look so shocked. It's not like I'm walking out of your lives forever. I just think, things might be easier for everyone if we didn't all live together, see each other all the time." She took a deep breath and turned to leave. "Well, later."

"Asuka! Wait!" Shinji ran over to her and stood in front of her. "Look at me please." 

Slowly she turned her eyes toward him.

"If you're doing this because you're tired of living with us, with me? If your doing this because you feel you need your own space? Then…then I… I'll support you 100% in your decision. But if you're doing this because of me, because of my actions and my words yesterday, then please-please don't go. I am sorry for yesterday. And not just for my words. I'm sorry for dishonoring your position as Assistant Operations Director. Whether at NERV or not, you are my superior officer and always deserve to be treated as such. I'm sorry for invading your privacy. I have no right to ever enter your room uninvited. But most of all, I'm sorry for damaging our friendship. You mean so much to me Asuka. You always have. You've been a source of inspiration for me since the first time I met you. You made me a better pilot… and a better person. And how do I repay all that. I threaten you when all you were doing was being a friend to Rei. I'm sorry Asuka. I don't want to lose our friendship, I don't want to lose you." Slowly he reached out and gently touched her arms. "Please don't leave us. Don't leave me. I'd do anything to make it up to you. I wish I never said those hurtful, stupid things. But I can't change that. Just tell me what you want and I'll do it."

Asuka looked down at the floor for a moment then looked back up at him. "Okay, well you can start by apologizing to Rei and learn to accept her as she is and accept the fact that as she lives and experiences new things, she is going to change. It's just apart of life."

"I've already apologized to her and I'm committed to doing just what you said." He assured her.

Smiling, the redhead went on. "Then the only other thing I'd want you to do is to make sure you don't take any of your friendships for granted. Especially ours."

The young man nodded and said. "I promise. I'll never take you or our friendship for granted ever again. I'll make sure I don't in any of my relationships ever."

The redhead's smile grew. "Oh, there is one other thing."

"Name it."

"Take the time to learn how to make some of my favorite European dishes and make at least one every week." She grinned wickedly. "I'll give you a list later."

He smiled broadly. "Of course. It will be my pleasure. I always like learning new recipes." Pausing for a moment he continued. "May I hug the Assistant Director of Operations?"

Smiling back she replied, "Yes Lieutenant, you may." as they shared a warm, loving embrace.

"Well, do you really need to leave now or will you stay for breakfast at least?" The pilot asked.

"I guess I can go in a little later." She replied as they turned. Both stopped when they saw they face to face with Rei. Asuka gasped slightly, whispering. "How does she do that?"

"So all is well again?" The blue-haired girl asked.

Looking at each other, Shinji and Asuka nodded and said in unison, "Yes, everything's okay."

"Then shouldn't you call the movers to cancel their arrival Asuka?" Rei added.

"Oh that. I hadn't actually made those arrangements yet. I was going to do it at work." She gave a guilty smile.

"Then will you reconsider going to work today and spend the day with us instead?" Rei asked.

"Ah, today is your third anniversary as a couple. I don't want to get in the way of that." The redhead replied.

"You won't get in the way." Shinji looked at Rei and saw he was right. "We'd love to have you spend today with us. We've all lived together for almost three years now. We can celebrate our last three years spent together as friends and family." 

"Agreed." Added Rei.

"Well, … okay, what the hell. Work can wait." Asuka tossed her briefcase on the sofa. "So what's the plan for today then?"

"Well, I guess we can start with breakfast. We can talk about it then." Shinji gestured toward the kitchen.

Walking over to the kitchen table Asuka turned to Rei and asked. "So how was it?"

"How was what?" Rei replied innocently.

"Oh come on. You know what. Remember these doors are paper thin." The redhead grinned.

"Asuka!" Shinji yelled red-faced with embarrassment. 

Rei turned an equally brilliant shade of red as she looked down at the table and said, "It… was wonderful." with just a hint of a smile. Gradually, she looked up to see her friend smiling warmly at her.

"I'm happy for you." She replied. Then turned to the boy and added. "Shinji you stud."

"Asuka! Please!" He turned even redder.

"I'm just teasing." She assured him. "Stud."

"Asuka!"

2017

Three years since Third Impact.

---

Commander Fuyutsuki sat in his chair at the command center. Misato stood behind him and to his right. At the control floor Asuka and Shinji stood anxiously counting down the minutes. The three operators checked and rechecked the status of Unit 00, its pilot and the dual rockets it was strapped to.

"The pilot's heart rate is slightly elevated Captain." Maya informed Asuka.

"Rei, how are you feeling?" She asked her pilot.

"A little tense to tell you the truth." She replied. "But I am well."

"Good. Just two minutes to liftoff. Remember this whole exercise will take just 72 minutes. Up to a low earth orbit and back. Piece of cake." Asuka tried to lighten her spirits.

"I favor fresh fruit." Rei replied back.

"Ah, I know that Rei. I was just trying to … "

"It was a joke Asuka." Rei informed her. "I suppose I still need to work on my sense of humor."

Asuka laughed softly as did most everyone else at the command center. "No Rei, that was a good one, just unexpected." 

Silence returned with the exception of a feminine voice counting down the time to launch.

"Shinji?" Rei called.

"Yes Rei?" He replied and waited for her to continue.

Silence followed.

After 40 seconds, Shinji said, "I understand."

Asuka looked over at the young man, but he simply continued to look at the monitor, displaying Unit 00 and the rockets as the zero hour approached.

"Thank you." Rei said.

"Thirty seconds to liftoff." The voice announced.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, zero, T plus 2 seconds, T plus 4 seconds… "

"All systems functioning normally. Unit 00 is 100 meters above ground zero… 300 meters… 500 meters."

"Pilot's heart rate continues to be elevated but appears to be fine otherwise."

"1900 meters… 4600 meters… 7500 meters… rockets commencing their roll." 

"Navigation correction complete."

"Unit 00 is now 15000 meters above ground zero and climbing precisely on schedule."

"Congratulations everyone on a successful launch." The commander announced.

Everyone applauded and exchanged congratulatory handshakes and hugs, everyone except Shinji who just continued to watch the monitor intently.

***********

Shinji boarded the jet after putting on his flight suit. 

"Ever fly at supersonic speed Lieutenant?" The pilot asked.

"No Captain, I haven't." Shinji replied.

"Well, you're in for a treat." The captain said as the canopy closed. "Hope you didn't eat too much for lunch."

In less then 56 minutes, the US built F-42 landed on a remote military airfield in the middle of Oklahoma farmland. 

"Thanks for the ride Captain." A slightly green Shinji said as he climbed down from the cockpit.

"Anytime Lieutenant. Perhaps, you'll be able to give me a ride in your Eva someday." The pilot saluted.

Shinji saluted back and replied. "I'll see what I can do."

He boarded the UN transport that was waiting for him and sped off to the control center. Inside, Dr. Akagi and her support staff waited for word from Unit 00.

"Anything yet doctor?" Shinji asked anxiously.

"Not yet but that is to be expected. The blackout should not end for another minute."

The next minute took an eternity for Shinji, but when he heard his love say, "Oklahoma base, this is Unit 00 preparing to deploy my chute. Do you concur?"

"Yes Rei, deploy now." Akagi confirmed.

"Touchdown in 80 seconds" announced the young female operator.

"Are your receiving this Tokyo3?" Akagi asked.

After a moments pause, "Yes, Oklahoma, we are receiving loud and clear." Asuka responded.

"Touchdown in 60 seconds."

"Is Unit 00 on target?" The doctor asked.

"Magi estimates Unit 00 will touchdown less than 10 meters from designated target spot at its current angle and rate of decent."

"Touchdown in 30 seconds." 

Shinji ran outside to witness the Eva's landing first hand. Looking up into the sky he could see the big blue Eva descend at what seemed to be a much too rapid rate, but based on their training, he knew all was going as planned.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three," Shinji braced for the impacted by dropping down on all fours when.

****

BBBOOOOMMMMM!!!!!

The earth shook as the Eva sent a shockwave through half the state of Oklahoma and on into Texas. Shinji ran towards the emergency vehicles that were dispatched to the landing sight and raced toward Unit 00. 

Hoses were used to cool the unit down as it crouched low for the crane to remove the entry plug. As steam filled the air around the Eva, the retrieval team carefully opened the entry plug and assisted its pilot out. Once she came into view, cheers rang out from everyone working around the Eva as well as from the 50,000 spectators and media that were watching from the specially designed observation area nearly a mile away. Giant monitors showed the events taking place. Simultaneously, cheers at the Oklahoma and Tokyo3 control centers also broke out. 

Shinji ran up to Rei and swept her up in his arms, burying his face in her shoulder he spun her around and around, finally setting her down and kissing her deeply. 

"Shinji, the people." She pulled back blushing intensely as the cheers grow louder.

"Let them see. I want to world to know I'm engaged to an international hero." He smiled at her and kissed her again. This time Rei did not resist but returned his love fully.

~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Okay, this is the first chapter that had some major changes to it compared to the version I posted on Darkscribes. Hope you liked it. Also added a few lines to the last part as well. Glad everyone seems to prefer the current format I am using now. The other chapters should come faster but this one took awhile because of the additions I made to it. Hopefully I'll have it all posted by the 7th of July, maybe sooner.

Please continue to review. I greatly appreciate your comments and suggestions.

A. Amishi


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it (A sequel to Random1377's, Crimson and Azure)

Chapter 8

2018

Three years and 2 months since Third Impact

---

With all the lights off in the apartment, Misato, Kaji and Shinji walked out of the kitchen carrying a cake. Rei stood behind Asuka, who was seated at the dining table, with her hands over the redhead's eyes. Asuka at twiddling her thumbs as she let out a sigh of boredom. 

"Can I open my eyes yet?"

"Not yet." Rei replied.

__

'She's way to excited about this. She's still so easy to please. Man, this is just going to make what I have to do that much harder.' She sighed again.

Rei removed her hands. "Okay, open your eyes."

Asuka obliged and saw a homemade birthday cake in front of her with seventeen candles on it.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Everyone said in unison and clapped.

Asuka gave a weak, sad smile. "Thanks guys. You… you have no idea how much this means to me."

"Hey, no long faces." Misato insisted, as she handed Asuka a knife to cut the cake. "Now come on make a wish and blow out your candles before they melt all over the frosting. "

Asuka took the knife, closed her eyes for a moment then blew out all seventeen candles in one blew. 

"So what did you wish for?" Rei asked.

"She can't tell you Rei." Shinji said.

"Why not?" 

"Because then the wish won't come true." He explained.

"It's okay Shinji. I can tell her. I can tell all of you since I'll know right now if my wish came true or not." Asuka stated.

"What is it Asuka? What's wrong?" Misato asked.

"I… I… oh man, this harder to do than I thought it would be." She closed her eyes for a moment and took in a long steadying breath and let it out. "I've decided to leave NERV… and Tokyo3." She said softly.

"WHAT!" Misato and Shinji screamed, then looked at each other.

Misato continued. "How could you do this? You were scheduled to take over as Operations Director next week! Now you're just leaving! " She yelled.

"Misato, I'm sure Asuka has her reasons." Kaji tried to calm his wife down.

"Reasons my ass! What is this shit! When are you leaving? Tomorrow? You are aren't you? You're just going to pick up and go. You ungrateful little shit." She continued in a rage.

"How could you Asuka? We're a team. How could you just leave us?" Shinji pleaded for understanding.

Rei, observing her friend with her head hung low, noticed the tears falling on her lap, tears that were concealed to everyone else by her long hair.

"You can't do this to me. Do you understand!" Misato ranted on despite Kaji's attempts to calm her down.

Rei got up and stood next to Asuka, pulling her into a protective embrace. "That is enough." She said as loudly as anyone had ever heard her speak. "Can you not see she is hurting enough as it is. This decision could not have been an easy one for her. If you truly care for Asuka as you claim you should try and understand this."

Shinji sat back down as he bowed his head in shame. Misato was dumbfounded by the blue-haired girl's outburst. Kaji used the opportunity to drag his wife outside to give her a chance to cool down.

After a few minutes a teary-eyed Asuka looked up and smiled at Rei. "Thank you Rei. Thank you for understanding." She wrapped her arms around her friend's waist and buried her face in her stomach. "I know I'm letting all of you down. I know this, but I just can't stay here anymore. I just can't be around Eva anymore. It's just too painful. I envied you so much, two months ago when you went up into space. I wanted that to be me so very badly. I've tried to be a good director, I have but all I ever wanted to be was a pilot. I thought I could do this, but the further along we go the harder it gets for me. I know it sounds selfish. I know it probably is, but I can't help it. And I don't want to stay and pretend it's all, all right and see myself grow to resent both you and Shinji. I can't do that. I won't do that. I love you guys too much to do that. I'm sorry… I'm sorry."

"No apology is needed Asuka." Rei assured her. "The first person you need to be responsible for is you. You need to take care of your own well-being first."

"Where will you go?" Shinji finally asked.

"I'm going back home to Germany."

"I thought you said you didn't get along with your father." He continued.

"My father didn't return from Third Impact. My step-mother died six months ago and left the family estate to me." She explained.

"And you didn't go to the funeral?"

"I wasn't informed of her death till her attorney contacted me a month later. She understood my feelings toward her and my father. She didn't want me flying out to Germany just out of obligation. But we did have a mutual respect at the end. I guess that's why she left the estate to me and not her cat."

"When are you going?" He asked.

"Not until Misato can find a suitable replacement. Contrary to what she said, I would never just leave her high and dry. She's done so much for me; I owe her too much. And I respect her too much to do that to her."

Just then Misato and Kaji came back in. Instinctively, Rei tightened her grip on Asuka. 

"Its okay Rei." She pulled away gently. "I need to do this." She stood up and walked over to Misato.

"Misato, I don't expect you to understand or to forgive me. This is just something I have to do. Sorry… " Asuka started before being cut off by her superior.

"I won't understand? I won't forgive you? If that's what you think then you don't know me half as well as you think?" Misato embraced the redhead. "I love you Asuka. I… I guess I'm just not ready to let you go." She pulled back and looked her former charge in her crystal blue eyes. "But you're all grown up now, and your decisions are your own. All I ask is that you don't forget about me. O-kaaay." Her voice gave out on that last word she cried.

Asuka pulled her back into her embrace. "Never, I'll never forget you Misato." She struggled to regain her composure. "And don't worry. I won't leave until we've found my replacement."

"Promise?" Misato smiled weakly.

"Well, as long as you're not purposely sabotaging the candidates just to keep me around." She tried laughing.

Misato laughed between her tears. "I promise, no sabotaging." Then she pressed her cheek against the side of the girl's head as they tightened their hold once again. A moment later, the felt another set of arms wrap around them then another, finally a set of powerful masculine arms encircled all of them.

"Can you feel the love?" 

"Oh stuff it Kaji." Asuka and Misato looked at each other and laughed when they realized they both said the same thing. 

Five weeks later

---

Rei wrapped on the door of Asuka's study. "Asuka, may I enter?"

"Sure Rei." She turned from her computer to face the entrance. "What can I do for you?" She said as she gestured for her to take a seat.

Rei came in and sat down then took a moment to consider how she wanted to ask what she had on her mind. "Have you located any qualified candidates as of yet?" 

Asuka raised her brow, "Umm, no and it's beginning to piss me off. It's been five weeks, and we haven't found a single qualified candidate. But we're supposed to be interviewing some hotshots from Europe and the Americas next week so I'm hopeful we'll find someone from that group." 

"I see." Rei considered this information. "Well, you are aware that Shinji and I are planning on wedding shortly after our eighteenth birthdays, correct?"

"Yeah, I remember. Sorry I won't be here for it." Asuka looked genuinely forlorned at the prospect of missing their wedding.

"Well, that is what I wished to speak to you about." Rei continued.

"Oh?"

"Assuming we are able to persuade Misato to authorize permission for us to marry before our eighteenth birthdays, will you be my maid of honor?" Rei looked at her hopefully.

Asuka smiled. "Do you really think you have to ask?"

Rei stared at her with a look of confusion.

"Of course I'll be your maid of honor." She hugged her friend. "I'd be insulted if you got married while I was still here and you didn't make me your maid of honor." They stayed in their embrace a few more minutes before Asuka pulled back and said, "We should head over to NERV and ask Misato for permission, don't you think?"

"Well," Rei hesitated.

"What's wrong?"

"I have not mentioned it to Shinji yet." Rei confessed. "I just considered the possibility this morning and he was gone by then." 

"Well, were did he go?"

"To Suzuhara's apartment. But I do not think they will be there at this time. He mentioned accompanying Suzuhara to the mall to purchase a gift for Miss Horaki." Rei explained.

"Well let's call him and we can meet him somewhere. Okay?"

Rei nodded and called her fiancé.

In the jewelry district

---

"Who was that? You don't have to go into work do you?" Touji asked.

"No, it was Rei, she just wants to meet up with us. Apparently she has something she needs to ask me but she didn't want to do it over the phone." Shinji replied.

"Man, good thing we took care of you're errand first." 

"No kidding, let's go." The boys rushed to the train station to take them to downtown Tokyo3.

An hour later at the mall

---

"Hello my love." Rei walked up to her boyfriend and kissed him warmly.

"Man guys, get a room." Touji whined.

"Oh shut up you goof. Like you and Hikari don't do the same thing in public." Asuka defended her friends.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Shinji asked after they broke their kiss.

"With Asuka leaving soon, I thought, as our guardian, we could ask Misato to sign the necessary permission forms to allow us to marry now rather then waiting till we are eighteen. This way Asuka can be my maid of honor." Rei explained, expecting Shinji to see the logic of her argument and agree enthusiastically.

What she got left her totally baffled. First he stammered, then he stuttered, then he started coming up with every lame excuse for not moving up the wedding. During the fifteen-minute conversion both Touji and Asuka were beginning to feel very uncomfortable. They excused themselves and went to get something to drink.

"So what's going on?" The redhead asked Touji.

"What do you mean?" He replied.

"Don't play dumb with me. Okay don't play dumber with me. Shinji wouldn't be putting up an argument about marrying Rei unless it was something important. So give, what is it?" She demanded.

Touji considered her words for a moment then said, "You're right. There is something but it's not my place to say. If Shinji wants to tell her or you, he will. Just know this, he loves her with every fiber of his been. There is nothing he wouldn't do for her, so you know it has to be a really good reason for him to want to wait."

Asuka considered badgering the boy further to get the information but she couldn't help but respect his loyalty to his friend and was instead reassured that Shinji would do the right thing.

Ten minutes later, Rei showed up and took Asuka's hand. "Let us leave now." Looking up at her it was obvious to the redhead that she had been crying.

"Rei? What happened?" Concern written all over Asuka's face. "That did that idiot do?"

"Please, not here. Let us go. I want to go home." The red-eyed girl's lips began to quiver.

"Okay, let so." Asuka go up and shot Touji a look. _'Every fiber of his been hey.'_ And they walked away.

Touji was beside himself in shock. After two more minutes, Shinji showed up.

"Man, what did you say to her? I've never seen Rei like that." Touji stated.

"That's not important, what is important is getting my deposit back from the jewelry store. Let's go." Shinji insisted.

"What!? You're not breaking up with her are you? You can't. I just got done telling Asuka how much you loved Rei. Don't go making a liar out of me." 

"Let's go and I'll explain everything." Shinji said sadly.

Back at the apartment

---

Asuka sat on the sofa in the living room with Rei's head on her lap. The young woman in love cried uncontrollably for nearly an hour before finally falling asleep. Asuka gently stroked her hair and hummed a lullaby, one she recalled her mother singing to her before the accident. 

__

'How could you Shinji? She believed in you. I believed you. How could you?' Asuka choked back her own tears. Her heart went out to her friend. _'This isn't fare. You've had to endure so much in your life. We all have but you finally found real happiness and if anyone ever deserved to be happy it's you Rei. Why Shinji, why?' _She turned her head to keep her tears from falling on Rei and waking her. As the hour drew late they both fell asleep on the sofa. 

It wasn't until the phone rang early the next morning that they woke. Rei sat up as Asuka got the phone.

"Hello?"

"Asuka, where are you guys? We were supposed to have a flight test this morning."

"Misato? What time is it?" She asked trying to wipe the sleep from her eyes.

"It's 9:30 already. You guys were supposed to be here at 8:00. What did I tell you about partying on a work day."

"It wasn't that Misato. Quite the opposite I assure you." 

"Well, just get you and your roommates over here as fast as you can. Okay?"

"That may be difficult." Asuka gestured toward Shinji's room and Rei went to check. She slid the door open but there was no sign of Shinji. She turned and shook her head.

"Shinji didn't come home last night."

"What? What happened?"

"It's complicated. Besides, I don't think it's my place to tell you."

"Well, get here as fast as you can with Rei and we'll work it all out." Misato hung up the phone.

"Problems Colonel?" The commander asked.

"It appears our two pilots had a … disagreement last night and Ikari did not return home." She said.

"That's why I've always frowned upon inter-office romances. Damn." The commander rubbed his temples then rose from his seat. "Notify me when the test is ready to commence." And he walked out of the command center.

"Yes sir." She acknowledged. "Shinji, what did you do now?"

On a plane somewhere over the North Atlantic

---

Shinji looked at his watch then looked out the window staring at the clouds as they passed. He had left a note, which he hoped would set Rei's mind at ease about his intentions, as well as his cellphone, to keep from being contacted and called back. He knew he ran the risk of disciplinary action or even dismissal for his actions but he felt he had no choice. 

Nine months earlier, while at the art museum he and Rei saw a wedding portrait of a sixteenth century duke and duchess. The wedding band on the duchess' finger was so incredibly beautiful that even Rei took note of it. That day, Shinji resolved to have a duplicate made of the finest melts to give to his bride on their wedding day. After saving his money over the past nine months and searching for a jeweler that would handcraft the rings, he left his deposit and was given the assurance that the rings would be ready in seven months. When Rei spring her surprise on him, he panicked and refused to marry her early. He didn't want to tell her about the rings because he knew she would tell him she would settle for a much simpler ring. He knew he could get away with much less but being able to give her this ring came to mean so much to him, he resolved to find someway who could make it for her as soon as possible. Returning to the jewelry store to cancel his order and get is deposit, the jeweler informed him that the great-great-great-grand-son of the jeweler that crafted the ring in the print Shinji had, was still alive and living in Switzerland and may be able to craft the ring for him in a few weeks. That day, Shinji was on a plane for Switzerland. He would have the ring made no matter what.

"Believe in me Rei. Please, believe in me." He whispered to himself.

At NERV HQ in Tokyo3

---

In Misato's office Asuka and Rei explained what had transpired the day before to the shock of their sub-commander. She slumped in her seat. "I can't believe it. Did you try calling his cellphone?"

"I have called three times in the past hour as well as twice last night." Rei informed her. "He has it on but is not answering." _'Why won't you even speak to me my love? Why?'_

"This is so much like the Shinji of old. I thought he outgrew running away from his issues." Misato spoke pensively. "Well, I'll decide that action I'll have to take against him later but for now we have tests that need to be run."

"Beg your pardon sub-commander but," Asuka interrupted, "considering the circumstances, wouldn't be best to postpone the tests for at least a couple days."

"No," said Rei. "I do not wish to simply sit at home and wait. It is too stressful. I would rather work."

"Are you sure Rei?" Asuka asked, not really believing her pilot's argument.

Rei nodded.

Misato stood up. "Rei, I understand how you feel. Work won't make your troubles go away but at least it may take your mind off of them for a few hours." Turning toward Asuka, she said, "Let us proceed with the testing then." And they walked out of Misato's office.

The testing that day was long and not nearly as productive as the testing had been in previous months but it was understandable and Asuka was as supportive and patient with Rei as she could possibly be and still conduct the tests. At the end of a very long day, Misato, Asuka and Rei left NERV together. With Kaji out of town on 'business', Misato invited her two daughters out for dinner. Afterwards, in the stillness and quiet of younger women's apartment, they each provided their support for Rei as she cried herself to sleep once more. 

In the rural outskirts of Zurich, Switzerland

---

Shinji knocked on the door of a modest cottage and waited patiently. After several minutes, an elderly gentleman came to the door. 

"Ja?" He looked over the young man at his door. Seeing the young man was not Swiss or German, he spoke in broken English, "I am sorry but I do not need any insurance, thank you." He started closing the door.

"Insurance?" Shinji whispered to himself. Speaking in his best English he replied, "Mr. Fuhrman, I'm not an insurance salesman. I've come from Japan to ask you for a favor sir."

The elderly man opened the door once again. "A favor you say. What type of favor?"

Shinji pulled out his print of the duchess and her ring. "Well first off. Are you the great-great-great-grand-son of the jeweler that crafted this ring?" He held up the print for the man to see.

The old gentleman examined the ring closely then looked at the print as a whole. "Beautiful, wasn't she? Yes, that was my great-great-great-grand-father, Erwin that crafted that ring. My family has been jewelry smiths for, well for as far back as I can remember. Unfortunately, it all ends with me." 

"Sir?"

"Well, where are my manners. Please come in, ah… what did you say your name was young man?" He asked.

"Ikari, Shinji Ikari." The young pilot bowed respectfully.

"Ikari! Not the Eva Pilot Ikari?" The old man's face lit up.

"Yes sir, that is I. You know of the Evas?" A surprised Shinji asked.

"Know of the Evas? I've followed your adventures from the very first angel attack. Please come in, come in." The gentleman gestured enthusiastically for Shinji to follow him. He walked with short quick steps into a large living room and over to his entertainment center. 

"Wow! This is incredible." Shinji marveled at the size and quality of the man's system. 

"Well," the man smiled sheepishly, "A man has got to have a hobby after retiring." He inserted a disk and turned on the monitor. In a moment, footage of Unit01's battle with the third angle appeared on the screen. 

"I especially love the way you tore through its protective energy field and pierced its heart." The man turned abruptly and headed for a bookshelf. "That reminds me," he pulled out what looked to be a scrapbook. "Would you be so kind as to sign this for me?" He held open the book to a page that had a picture of Shinji as he disembarked Unit 01 after helping Misato stop the Jet Alone. 

"Umm, sure." Shinji pulled out a pen and signed his name on the picture.

"Oh, thank you son, thank you so much. You've made an old man's wish come true. Umm, you didn't happen to bring either of the lovely young lady pilots with you, did you?" The former jewelry hugged his scrapbook to his chest.

"Umm, no, but that's why I'm here." Shinji said, anxious to get back to the reason he came all this way. "You see. I'm engaged to one of the other pilots, Rei Ayanami… " 

"Oh, Miss Ayanami… " The elderly man grabbed his remote and jumped ahead several scenes to where Rei could be seen standing on a platform looking out over Tokyo3 while Shinji was sitting on the floor several meters behind her. "Tell me, is she as beautiful in person as she appears here?" He asked.

"More so. She's the most beautiful creature on earth. She's like… like an angel. The good kind." Shinji stared at the image of his true love before shaking his head. "Excuse me Mr. Fuhrman, where did you get this footage? All the angel battles are supposed to be classified."

"TeHeHeHe, well, it's amazing the things you can get in exchange for a few pieces of custom-make jewelry." The old man laughed. "But don't worry, in case of my death, NERV officials will confiscate my entire collection. It's been arranged." 

Having had enough excitement for one day, Mr. Fuhrman sat down and gestured for Shinji to follow suit. "So what is this favor you were asking about?"

Shinji pulled out the print once more. "I was wondering if you could make me this ring. We saw it at an art exhibition and I just know that ring would look perfect on Rei's hand. Could you make it for me?"

The gentleman took the print and pulled out his glasses to inspect it more carefully. "Hmm, I don't know. I remember my grandfather telling me about this ring. It's actually made of a very thin strand of gold woven round and round with tiny diamonds and emeralds woven in place. Only the one ring was ever made."

Shinji hung his head. _'I traveled all this way, for nothing.'_

"Still… Follow me." The elderly man got up and headed for the basement. "This is my workshop." He said as he went to a large set of shelves filled with papers and notebooks. He started searching through the stacks. "For as far back as my family has been jewelry smiths, we have kept journals of how our more difficult items were crafted. Ah, here it is." He pulled out a scroll, walked over to his worktable and unrolled it. After a moment he said, "Yes, yes I can and will make the ring for you." He checked his watch. "But we will have to wait till tomorrow to go into town to get the raw materials. Now as for my fee."

"Anything, any amount of money, just name your price." Shinji exclaimed.

"Well, money wise all I'll need is the cost of the raw materials. No what I want is for you to regale me with tales of your battles with the angels. In fact, you can even stay here in my guest room. What do you say?"

Shinji went a little pale. He had spent the past three years trying to forget about the angels, now this elderly gentleman wanted him to tell him stories about them. But as he hesitated the image of his beloved came to mind and he smiled. "Sure, I can do that. It would be my pleasure."

"Wonderful! Well, let me show you to your room and you can freshen up while I start supper." And they headed back upstairs.   


At NERV HQ in Tokyo3

---

Rei and Asuka walked down the corridor towards Misato's office in silence. They had exhausted every effort in the past week and a half to find Shinji, all to no avail. They even questioned Touji repeatedly, trying to get him to reveal some useful information. But he was either unbelievably loyal to Shinji or honestly did not know anything. All he said was what Shinji told him. That he loved Rei more than life itself and that he would marry her as soon as he returned. But where he went and for what purpose, Touji claimed not to know. 

For a time these words provided Rei some comfort but as the days turned into a week that comfort slowly began to fade way. With growing certainty she became resigned to the notion that Shinji was not coming back, ever. 

Meanwhile, Asuka had her own issues to deal with. While comforting her dearest friend she still had to find her replacement. This proved to be a much harder than she originally thought. After interviewing close to fifty candidates, she was convinced the world was filled with morons and losers. But after each interview, it slowly became more and more apparent to her who the ideal candidate was. When she presented her proposal to Misato, she was met with some opposition but was able to persuade the sub-commander soon enough. Eventually agreeing with Asuka's recommendation, she told the redhead to remain silent about it until she got the commander's approval and was ready to present the offer herself.

Coming to Misato's office, Asuka knocked on her door.

"Come right in." The voice on the other side of the door said.

They entered and stood in front of Misato's desk. "Good I'm glad you two could make it." She smiled then turned her attention to Rei. "Rei, I know this is an especially difficult time for you. It's been a difficult time for all of us. But life does go on and our work here must continue. As you know Asuka has been working tirelessly to find a qualified replacement for her, without much success. Well, it appears the very best candidate for the position has been right under our noise the entire time. Rei, having received Asuka's highest possible recommendation, would you be willing to be our new Operations Director."

Rei was stunned.

"Of course, you'll have to go through a period of training as Assistant Director, just as Asuka had to but she assures me that you are already very well versed in her regular responsibilities so I expect that time will only be a year, maybe two. So what do you say?"

Rei hesitated for a moment then said, "I am honored that both of you would regard me so highly, but I am one of only two pilots we have available. It would be unfair and unrealistic to expect Shinji," Her head dipped down and she whispered. "when he returns, to shoulder the entire burden of piloting the Evas."

"That is true but as I'm sure you've noticed, both of your sync ratios have been going down steadily since your sixteenth birthdays. Ritsuko informed me that by the time you reach nineteen; the chances are very likely that neither of you will be able to pilot the Evas at all. So we have begun the process of searching for new pilots. 

"And what will become of Shinji?" Rei's concern clearly evident.

"Well, that will depend largely upon when he returns and the circumstances surrounding his departure. But assuming he is not dismissed for his current absence he will most likely be asked to stay on as an instructor. His experience at piloting the Evas is far to valuable to lose."

"I see." Rei acknowledged. After considering the offer for several moments, she responded, "Well, if both you and Asuka feel I am up to the task, than who am I to disagree. I accept your offer Sub-Commander."

Misato walked out from behind her desk and up to Rei. Placing her hands on the pilot's shoulders, she said. "I'm sure you will do an excellent job." She smiled. "And I'm sure … I'm sure Shinji will be home soon."

"I… thank you Misato." Rei said with a smile.

As Asuka and Rei walked down the corridor together, Asuka asked. "Have you tried calling him today?" 

"I have not tried. I have not tried in the past two days." Rei answered.

"Why not?" 

"He is not returning. He does not love me. I doubt… I doubt he ever did." Rei said sadly.

The redhead spun and slapped her across the face. "What are you saying?! Don't be stupid!" As the Asuka of old, flashed to the surface for a moment. But seeing Rei standing, motionless and emotionless, filled the fiery redhead with regret. 

"Rei, I'm sorry. But… but… you can't give up hope. You can't." She reached out and grabbed her friend by the arms. "Don't give up hope. Shinji loves you, you know he does… you know it!"

Rei closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks and she gave a gentle nod. 

"Come on, try calling him again." Asuka insisted.

"Yes, yes I shall." Rei pulled out her phone and dialed Shinji's phone. 

As her phone rang Asuka heard ringing close by. Looking left and right she asked. "Do you hear that?"

Rei pulled her phone from her ear and listened. Looking about, she walked over to a door. "It's coming from here. From Shinji's office." She turned the handle. "It's not locked." Walking in they saw Shinji's cellphone and a note on his desk. 

Asuka picked up the phone. "He plugged into the charger so it would stay on the whole time he was gone."

Rei picked up the note. On the top it read, 'To Rei'. She opened the note and began to read aloud. 

~~~~

__

My dearest love,

I cannot apologize enough for upsetting you earlier today. It broke my heart to say no to you but believe me when I say I had my reasons. And none of them involve not wanting to marry you. There is something very special I must do. I knew if I told you what it was, you'd tell me it was unnecessary but this is something I feel I must do for you. Please try and understand. It will all be made clear when I return and I will return. I don't know how long this will take me but know that I will return home as soon as I possibly can. Be sure to take Asuka shopping with you and find a pretty white dress to wear. If you really want to get married quickly, we can find a judge that will do it the day after I get home if you wish. 

Above all, I need you to trust in me and trust in our love. My thoughts are with you always my love.

Till I see you again,

Shinji

PS: I love you!

~~~~

Asuka smiled. "See, its like I said, just like Touji said. He does love you and he will be back." She leaned forward to try and see Rei's face. "Isn't that great news?"

Rei began to cry. "I do not deserve his love. I doubted him; I doubted his love for me. I do not deserve to be loved by him." She began so sob.

"Hey, hey" Asuka pulled her friend into her arms. "That's not true. How were you supposed to know? Who would have known that idiot would leave a note in here. He never even uses his office. You didn't know. You couldn't have known. Don't blame yourself. You hear me. It's not your fault."

Not entirely agreeing with Asuka's argument, Rei nodded anyway and wiped her eyes dry. 

"Now come on. We need to go to my office." Asuka gently guided Rei out the door.

"For what?"

"To write up a leave of absence form for Shinji so he'll still have a job when he comes back and we need to plan your wedding. Alright?" Asuka smiled.

"Yes, yes you are correct." They walked the rest of the way to Asuka's office in pleasant silence.

Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean

---

It took Mr. Fuhrman fifteen days but the rings were complete and even more magnificent than Shinji could have hoped for. He checked his watch. _'It should beeee… a little after six in the morning in Tokyo3.' _He reached for the flight phone and swiped his NERV ID card through it, then dialed home and waited.

The phone rang four times before a soft and gentle voice answered. "Hello, this is Rei Ayanami."

"Rei, my love, it's so good to hear your voice. I've missed you so."

"Shinji? Is it really you? My love, where are you?"

"Currently about 45,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean. I should be arriving at Tokyo3 International Airport at 8:55. I was hoping you might be able to come pick me up."

"Of course, I will be there. What flight?"

"It's Air Japan, flight 1066. I can't wait to see you my love."

"Nor I my love, nor I."

With that Shinji ended the call and smiled happily as he closed his eyes and tried to get a little more sleep.

9:00 am at Tokyo3 International Airport

---

Rei waited at the entrance of the concourse, her hands over her heart trying to control her heart rate, when she spotted him. Her face lit up and for anyone who was paying attention, it would have appeared as if the girl was literally flouting on air.

Shinji quickened his pace when is spotted her. Passing airport security, he rushed up to her, dropping his luggage and swept her off her feet in a loving embrace.

"God I've missed you so much." He whispered in her ear as he held her close for fear that this may all have been a dream and she would disappear on him if he let go even just a little bit. Rei returned his embrace with just as much vigor, pressing her face into his collarbone and breathing in his scent.

"Never leave me like that again, Shinji my love. Please never leave me without giving me a way to contact you. You have no idea what I went through these past two weeks."

"Didn't you read my letter?" He asked his voice filled with concern.

"Not until just four days ago. I was beside myself till I read your lovely note."

"Four days ago. Why only till then?"

"I never considered searching your office. You never use it for anything. It did not occur to me that you would have left me a note there."

"Oh Rei, I'm so sorry. You must have… you must have thought I ran out on you. Oh God, Rei please forgive me. I'm so sorry."

"Kiss me and all will be forgiven."

He gladly obliged.

In the limo ride, Shinji noticed that they were not heading home or to NERV HQ. "Where are we going?" He asked.

"In your letter you specified that we could get married as soon as you returned. Well, I see no reason to delay any longer do you?"

He smiled. "No, no I guess not." He squeezed her hand and raised her fingers to his lips.

"By the way, do you think you can now reveal your reason for leaving so abruptly?" She asked calmly, doing her very best to contain her curiosity.

"Well, since we're going to get married today, I guess I need to show you anyway." He grabbed his carry-on bag and started searching for a small black box. Once he recovered it he opened it and held it out for Rei to see.

"Oh my goodness. These are just like the ring we saw in that painting." Rei's eyes sparkled with amazement.

"They not only look like it, they practically are it. I went to Switzerland and had the great-great-great-grandson of the jewelry-smith that made the original make these for us. I was originally going to have a jeweler here in Tokyo3 do it but he was going to take seven months to complete them. That's why I hesitated. I wanted to present these rings to you for our wedding." He explained.

"Shinji, they are magnificent but I would have settled for less." She assured him.

"I know you would have but I didn't want you to have to settle for less. I wanted to give you something special as a wedding ring, something that expressed how very special you are to me. Can you understand that?" He hoped she would.

Rei smiled and kissed him passionately. "I am glad you went to the trouble of acquiring these rings. To know you love me so much as to travel half way around the world and spend two weeks waiting for these rings to be made. I can only imagine how much they must have cost." 

"Well, to tell you the truth, that is kind of a funny story." He laughed nervously.

"Perhaps you can humor me with the tale sometime during our honeymoon, but as for right now, we have arrived at our destination." She gestured out the window. It was a country club to which the commander was a member. 

"A country club?" 

"The commander arranged it." 

As they pulled up in front, Kaji, Touji and Kensuke hurried Shinji to the men's dressing room, while Misato, Asuka and Hikari took Rei to the women's dressing room. 

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Okay, we're very close to the wedding now. I'll let you all know that I didn't actually write a wedding scene but rather their preparations just before the wedding. That is the next chapter. My thinking was that wedding scenes are all pretty much the same unless the writer adds some catastrophe in it and I'm not going to do that. I figure I've got enough WAFF in this story already, I don't need to add more with a sappy wedding scene. I have been considering adding a scene with S/R on their honeymoon in Europe but not entirely sure I want to do that. So I ask you. Do you feel an actual wedding scene is necessary? Would a few moments from their honeymoon suffice? Or just leave all that out and get on with the story? Let me know what you think. I'd really like to know.

Thank you for all your comments, suggestions and critics. I appreciate each and every one of them. ^_^

A. Amishi


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it (A sequel to Random1377's Crimson and Azure)

Chapter 9

In the men's dressing room

---

"Here," Kaji handed the groom a towel and a bucket with assorted toiletries. "The showers are through that door." He pointed. "Hurry, you don't have much time."

"Where's his suit?" Touji asked. 

"Still in my car. Here." Kaji tossed the boy his keys and he ran out to retrieve the garment.

In the women's dressing room

---

Sitting on a chair in front of a mirror in only her underwear, Hikari was busy touching up Rei's hair, while Asuka was removing the bride's dress from its box. 

"I can't get over how simple, yet beautiful this dress is. I have to hand it to you Rei. You developed wonderful taste." Misato said with a smile.

"Thank you mother." Rei replied in all seriousness.

Misato giggle. She walked up beside Hikari. "I love it when you call me that." She smiled at Rei's reflection and her surrogate daughter smiled back. 

In the men's dressing room

---

"Whew! That looks great on you Shinji." Kensuke said.

The groom smiled. "You think so?"

"He's just saying that because his being a suck up." Touji snapped.

"You're just pissed I said it first." Kensuke countered.

"What are you two arguing about?" Shinji stared at them with a look of bewilderment.

"They've been like this all morning." Kaji explained. "Their waiting for you to decide which one will be your best man."

"Oh?" Nerves suddenly shook the groom to the core.

"Yeah Shinji, you've got to decide. Which one of us is your best man?" Kensuke asked.

"Yeah Shinji, which one?" Touji added.

"Jeez guys. I…I don't know." Shinji sighed. "You're both great friends. I can't decide."

"But you have to decide. You're getting married in … " Touji checked his watch. "20 minutes."

With nervous sweat threatening to excrete out of every pore in his body, Shinji cast a pleading eye to Kaji for help.

The older man gave him a crooked grin. Then said, "Well, since Shinji values both your friendships equally, there is only one fair way to settle this."

In the women's dressing room

---

Rei's dress was a simple strapless pale pink silk dress that came down to just below her ankles, with a matching silk bolero jacket. Asuka and Hikari wore a similar bridesmaid dress also in pink with a brilliant red rose-colored bolero. 

"You look beautiful." Misato's eyes sparked as she looked at Rei. "But something's missing." She gave a wicked smile. "I'll be right back." And she left the room.

Hikari grabbed her purse and went over to Rei. "You know Rei, you could use just a little color on you cheeks and lips, otherwise you'll end up looking washed out in the photographs."

"I prefer not to wear makeup." She stated candidly.

"Hikari's right Rei. Normally, I'd say you don't need it but just a touch will make sure your wedding pictures come out right." Asuka added.

"Well… if you both feel it is necessary, I suppose a little will not hard." Rei conceded.

"Good." Hikari pulled out her compact and put just a small amount on the applicator. 

In the men's dressing room

---

"Okay, this is it, the third and final match. This will decide it." Kaji said with mock excitement as he held their arms firmly on the table. "Let the thumb war begin!"

Touji and Kensuke glared at each other as well as their hands as each tried to gain the advantage over the other. Shinji stood back by the door shaking his head at the absurdity of it all but glad he didn't have to choose between them. After an intense four and a half minutes, Kaji counted, "one…two…three…four" and released their arms. 

"Yes! Yes! I win! I win!" Kensuke screamed jumping up and down like a mad man. "Woo Hoo! Woo Hoo!"

"Aaa shut up before I clobber ya!" Yelled an angry Touji.

"Just look on the bright side Touji. At least you have Hikari as your partner." Shinji tried to rationalize for his friend.

"Aaa you shut up too. This woulda never happened if you woulda just picked me." He snapped at Shinji.

Shinji just raised his hands defensively.

In the women's dressing room

---

Misato walked back in with a box in her hands. "I know you didn't want one when we picked out the dress but I thought that perhaps you may have changed your mind." She set the box down on the vanity dresser and opened it, taking out the veil she used on her wedding just a few months before and held it up for Rei to see.

Rei looked at the veil then over to Misato and the expression on her face. An expression that spoke of boundless pride and joy in the mature girl who was now a young woman. Misato never looked more like a proud mother in her young life than she did at that very moment. Rei smiled and walked over to her surrogate mother, allowing her to pin the veil in place then she hugged her with all the warmth and love a daughter could have for her mother. 

"Thank you mother." She struggled desperately to keep from crying as they shared a moment together.

"Are they always like that?" Hikari whispered to Asuka.   
  
"Yeah, it's becoming a pretty regular occurrence these days." She whispered back, smiling widely.   


In the men's dressing room

---

"Well, let me go see if your bride is ready." Kaji made a quick exit, laughing to himself as he walked over to the women's dressing room.

Touji walked over the groom, "So where are these rings you almost ruined your relationship with Rei over?" He asked.

Shinji went over to where he had placed the clothes he was wearing earlier and retrieved the ring box then walked back to his friends. "Here." He said with a certain sense of pride as he opened the box.

"Man! Those are incredible!" Kensuke said as he picked up one of the rings and marveled at the craftsmanship that went into making it.

"No kidding." Added Touji as he did the same with the other ring. "Man, seeing these rings makes me feel like putting up with Rei and Asuka's cross examining was worth it."

"Cross examining? What do you mean?" Shinji asked.

"Man, they must have come to grill me about four different times to see if I know where you went." The taller boy explained. "While I tried to assure Rei that you loved her and would be back soon, I flat out refused to say anything about where you were going or what you were going for. And it wasn't easy. You know, for as stoic as Rei used to be, man, when she's hurting inside she shows it as plan as day now. Looking into her face and saying I didn't have any clue where you could be was about the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I still don't look forward to having to go and apologize for lying to her like that. I imagine she'll probably hate me for the rest of her life." 

Shinji was completely taken aback by this revelation. He never imagined his little journey would have caused Rei so much pain and sadness, or put is friend Touji in such an awkward position. At that moment he made a decision.

"Touji, will you be my best man?"

"Hey! You can't do that!" Kensuke screamed. "I won fair and square!"

"I'm sorry Kensuke but what Touji did for me was what a very best friend does. I can't, not have him be my best man. Please try and understand." The groom explained to his other friend.

Touji placed a hand on Shinji's shoulder as he gave his friend a look that he had never seen before. Shinji knew at that moment that their bond of friendship had just grown measurably stronger. "Thanks man, it really means a lot to me, you know." Then he bowed his head for a moment and when he raised it a very serious expression crossed his face. "But I don't think I should be."

Shinji was shocked.

"It's not that I don't want to be. I do, more then anything. I just don't think you should start off your marriage with having something like this hanging over your heads."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want Rei mad at you because you picked me to be your best man. That's no way to start a marriage."

Shinji thought about it for a moment then looked at his friend and said, "You're right. Come with me." And they walked out the door. 

Kensuke dropped himself on a seat with a thud and sulked. "It's not fair."

At the women's dressing room

---

Kaji had just verified that the women were ready and went to find the commander. Hearing the knock at the door Misato went over to answer it expecting to see the head of NERV on the other side.

"Shinji! What are you doing here? You know it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding." She said with mild shock in seeing the young groom standing at the door. 

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that Rei and I don't believe in superstitious nonsense like that. I need to speak with Rei. It's important." The young groom said in all seriousness.

Taken back by his serious manner Misato obliged him by calling Rei over. "Yes my love. What is it?"

"Can you step out here for just a moment Rei? I really need to speak to you about something." Shinji said, gently taking her hand.

"Of course. I'll be right back." She said over her shoulder and followed him out the door. Seeing Touji she said, "Hello Suzuhara."

"Hello Rei." He whispered. "You look beautiful." He added with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Thank you." She replied granting him a small but rare smile.

This felt like a dagger in Touji's heart as he hung his head low.

"What is wrong Shinji?" She turned to her groom.

"I've decided to make Touji my best man but he's worried you may get angry at me for choosing him." He explained.

"I do not understand. Why?" She asked.

"Because" 

"Because I lied to you Rei." Touji said still looking down at his feet. "When you asked if I knew where Shinji was, what he went to do. I didn't know exactly where he went but I knew what he went to do. But I promised Shinji I wouldn't tell no matter what. So I didn't. I'm sorry it caused you so much heartache. I never wanted to hurt you. I… I'm sorry Rei."

Rei walked up to him and to his surprise, instead of slapping him, she gave him a gentle hug and even more surprising a kiss on the cheek. "It is all right Touji." She smiled up at him.

He gasped at the surprise of the kiss and at being called by his first name by her. That was the first time she ever called him by his first name. And he searched her eyes trying to understand how she could so easily forgive him.

"I assumed as much after I read Shinji's letter. I was a bit angry at first, but then I realized something. Something very important."

Touji gave her a questioning stare.

"My love has chosen his friends well." She smiled again. 

Touji returned the smile on quivering lips as tears threatened to escape his eyes. "Thank you Rei."

"Thank you Touji for being Shinji's friend, and mine I hope." 

"Always. That's a promise from Touji Suzuhara." He said as his smile grew.

"Okay tough guy, don't start getting all weepy eyed on me." Shinji said giving Touji a light shove, ending their embrace. He took his bride's hand and escorted her back to her dressing room. "I'll see you in a minute Miss Ayanami." He smiled.

"I cannot wait Mr. Ikari."

Shinji frowned.

"What is wrong?" Rei asked with a concerned look.

"I don't know if I want to be Mr. Ikari. I know it was my mother's maiden name but my father was Mr. Ikari. I don't want to be reminded of him each time someone refers to us as Mr. & Mrs. Ikari."

Rei looked deeply into his eyes. "You are serious about this?" 

Shinji nodded, "Yes, I am."

She thought for a moment then smiled, "well, how would you feel being called Mr. Ayanami?"

Shinji smiled. "Mr. Ayanami." He tried it out. "Mr. & Mrs. Ayanami." His smile grew. "I think I like the sound of that."

"Very well." Rei smiled back. "Ayanami, it will be." She leaned forward and kissed him softly. "I look forward to our next kiss my love." And she walked back into the dressing room.

While walking back to the men's locker room to get Kensuke, Shinji told Kaji of their decision to use Rei's name rather than his. Kaji smiled then went to the judge who was to perform the ceremony and informed him of this change.

A few moments later, there was a knock at the door. This time, as Misato expected, Commander Fuyutsuki was standing on the other side. 

"Is the lovely bride ready?" He asked as he walked in.

"As ready as she'll ever be." Misato assured, gesturing toward Rei who was observing the child like wonder that Hikari and Touji's little sisters were having with the whole event. Each was dressing in a flowery yellow on yellow dress with bright yellow ribbons running through the sleeves, around the waist and along the hem. Nozomi was to be the flower girl while Kimiko was the ring bearer. 

Seeing her like this took his breath away. "Lieutenant Ayanami, you are truly radiant." He walked up to her and took her hand.

"Thank you Commander." She replied politely.

Looking deeply into the eyes of the child whom he had seen grow from an embryo, he smiled with a warmth and tenderness she had never seen before. 

"Commander?" She asked puzzlement filled her expression.

"I am simply grateful that this day, a day I thought would never come for you, has. Be happy Rei, if anyone in this world deserves to be, you do." He said then casually wiped a stray tear from his cheek. "Well, shall we go?"

The young bride held his hand tightly in hers and nodded.


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it (A Sequel to Random1377's, Crimson and Azure)

Chapter 10

The Wedding

---

If it had been up to Rei and Shinji to plan their wedding it probably would have been in a judge's chamber with a small handful of friends and family present. But with Shinji out of the country and Rei preoccupied with finding the right dresses and suits for the wedding as well as with arrangements for their honeymoon, both the commander and the department head of Project E offered to handle the wedding and reception arrangements. 

The day was a typically perfect Toyko3 day, warm but not overbearingly so with a gentle breeze and not a cloud in the sky. The ceremony was to take place on the fairway of the 18th hole. Seating for over 1,000 guests were set up. Guests included two-thirds of NERV's personnel, everyone from Shinji's High School class and a large assortment of political, corporate and entertainment dignitaries. The seats faced away from the clubhouse out toward the lush green lawns. A curtain was hung behind the last row to conceal the approach of the wedding party. At the front of the assembly was a short, but wide platform where the actual ceremony would take place, performed by the Japanese Minister of Justice, Yurika Matsumura. Behind the platform was the Tokyo3 Symphony Orchestra. To the far right, in a roped off area was a large contingency of the international media. The marriage of the two most high profile people in NERV was no small international event and the media was out in force to report on it. 

Kaji stood talking to the Minister, explaining the name change the couple chose. The Minister made a quick change in her notes and nodded her understanding. That task done, Kaji made his way to the back of assembly and behind the curtain.

Soft murmuring continued amongst the assembled guests until Kaji reappeared from behind the curtain and signaled the orchestra conductor. With that the orchestra broke into a slow haunting rendition of Bach's Air on the G String. The guests immediately became silent and stood, turning to face the back of the assembly. A moment later the curtain was pulled back slightly and Shinji Ikari appeared, escorting his guardian, Misato Katsuragi to the front of the assembly. Having reached the front, Shinji leaned forward and kissed Misato on the cheek. 

"Thank you for everything Misato." He whispered, smiling at the woman who had been more of a mother to him these past three years than a boss. 

"Thank you Shinji." She smiled back, struggling not to cry as she gently touched his cheek. "Thank you." 

She turned and took her seat while Shinji took his position on the platform.

Nozomi Suzuhara came next sprinkling red rose petals over the hunter green carpet that covered the aisle. Next came Hikari Horaki escorted by Kensuke Aida then the Maid of Honor, Asuka Langley Souryu escorted by the Best Man, Touji Suzuhara. Kimiko Horaki was next holding a pillow in her hands with the two wedding rings on it. When she reached platform she turned and walked over to Touji who took the rings off the pillow then she took her place along side the flower girl, next to her sister. 

Finally, down the aisle came Rei Ayanami escorted by Commander Kouzou Fuyutsuki. As the music played the assembled guests were in awe at the radiance of the bride. She walked staring straight ahead but with a faint smile on her face and a sparkle in her eyes. 

Reaching the front of the assemble, Kouzou turned to face the bride and lifted her veil, kissing her on the cheek and whispering, "Be happy my dear. Be happy."

She gifted him with a warm smile as she mouthed the words, _'Thank you.'_ Then she took her place on the platform next to her soon-to-be husband. The moment she came into view past the crowd of guests, the cameras that could be heard clicking way as the rest of the wedding party assembled on the platform suddenly increased in volume, tenfold. 

Having only arrived back in Japan a little over an hour ago, Shinji had no idea what he was supposed to do if anything. But Rei put his mind at ease as she gently took his hands into hers as they turned to face each other. And as the minister began to speak, the two young lovers looked deeply into each other's eyes and saw in them a soul, meant only for the other.

"The past three and a half years have been tumultuous ones for everyone on this planet of ours. A war against powerful supernatural beings, a global catastrophe and the slow rebuilding of our world has been a terrible trial for every person on this planet but for none more than the two young people standing before us today. For not only did they have to endure these trials along with the rest of us, they had to deal with them first hand. And despite their personal suffering and tragedies along the way, they managed not only to survive but to find love as well; a love that sustained them during the worst moments of mankind's trials, a love that has enabled them to endure the inherent dangers of space, a love that has brought them here today. Stories will inevitably be written of the two Evangelion Pilots who battled the Angels of Heaven, saved the world from destruction and fell in love in the process. We are the fortunate few who have been honored to witness the reality of this love first hand."

Addressing the young couple directly she continued, "And now you begin a new journey, a new challenge. For love is more than just a feeling, love is a commitment, a commitment of two souls living as one. Through all the joys and the trials life has to offer. Shinji Ikari, will you promise to love Rei Ayanami through the trials of life as well as through its joys?"

Looking deeply into his lover's eyes he replied. "I will."

"Will you promise to honor her and respect her and provide for all her needs in this world as well as the next?"

"I will." He said with a quivering voice as a single tear escaped his right eye.

"Rei Ayanami, will you promise to love Shinji Ikari through the trials of life as well as through its joys?"

"I will." She whispered.

"Will you promise to honor him and respect him and provide for all his needs in this world as well as the next?"

"I will." She said in a barely audible voice as her own tears began to run down her cheeks.

"Do you have the rings?" The minister asked.

Touji took a half step forward and handed them to the minister.

"Oh my! These are magnificent." Looking up quickly, she cleared her throat and proceeded, handing Rei's ring to Shinji, she said. "Placing the ring on Miss Ayanami's left hand and repeat after me. With this ring I pledge to you."

"With this ring I pledge to you." Shinji struggled to say without breaking down completely.

"My love, my life, my eternal devotion."

"My love, my life, my eternal devotion." His hand trembled as he slid the ring onto her finger.

"From this day and for all of eternity."

"From this day and for all of eternity." A tear fell from his eyelash and onto the back of her hand.

Then the minister handed Rei, Shinji's ring and said. "Miss Ayanami, please repeat after me. With this ring I pledge to you."

"With this ring I pledge to you." Rei's voice cracked three times as she whispered the words.

"My love, my life, my eternal devotion."

"My love, my life, my eternal devotion." She gently slid the ring onto his finger.

"From this day and for all of eternity."

"From this day and for all of eternity." Her tears, which had stopped momentarily suddenly started again as she smiled up at the man she loved.

"By the power vested in my by the Federal Government of Japan and the Japanese Constitution, I now declare you husband and wife. Mr. Ayanami, you may kiss your bride."

Shinji smiled as he heard his new name for the first time said officially. Then without further hesitation he leaned forward as Rei raised her lips to meet his. The kiss was soft and sweet as he wrapped her arms around her and breathed in her essence. As the kiss broke, he hugged her, pressed his cheek against hers and whispered into her ear. "I'm so happy right now. I love you so very, very much. I'll love you forever, I swear." 

"As will I my dearest love. As will I." She whispered back then they kissed again, both oblivious of the thunderous applause and rivers of tears being shed by all those present. Even guests who did not know the couple personally as well as members of the media who stood more than 50 meters way were moved to tears by the ceremony. 

Misato wept uncontrollably as did Maya and the recovery crews who had worked closely with both pilots over the past year. The commander found himself using his handkerchief every few minutes to wipe way the stray tears that just wouldn't go way. Kaji, who was holding his wife in her arms, trying to calm her down, found himself unable to stop the tears of joy that sprang to his eyes. Even Ritsuko who once hated Rei even more then Asuka ever did, couldn't help but smile and feel a sense of love and happiness for the young couple. With the palm of her hand she wiped away a stray tear.

"Crying Ritsuko?" Maya said as she blotted the tears from her eyes with a hanky then suddenly realized what she said. "I mean Doctor."

The blond put her arm around the younger woman's shoulder and pulled her close to her. "It's okay Maya. In a day like today, it's okay to love and be loved." She smiled.

The brunette smiled back. "Thank you Ritsuko." And she leaned her head against the taller woman's shoulder. "Thank you."

After Shinji and Rei finally separated, Minister Matsumura offered her congratulations to both then had them turn and face their guests. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you for the very first time, Mister and Misses Ayanami."

Again the surrounding area was filled with the sound of applause. This time both Shinji and Rei blushed from all the attention they were receiving as Rei pressed her cheek onto Shinji's shoulder, Shinji stroked her opposite shoulder in an effort to partially conceal both of them from the large crowd. 

As the applause continued, the rest of the wedding party approached the newlyweds and offered their congratulations with warm hugs and kisses. Asuka and Hikari quickly dried Rei's eyes. Then the orchestra began playing Beethoven's Ode to Joy, indicating it was time for the wedding party to exit down the aisle. As they held each other's hand, the newlyweds accepted the congratulations and praise of the assembly of people who lined the aisle. Once passed the back curtain they were escorted, along with the rest of the wedding party, back into the clubhouse and to a private room for a chance to rest and gather their composure before the reception.

"Oh my goodness." Shinji sighed as he laid his suit coat onto the arm of the sofa then plopped down on it himself. "Where did all those people come from?"

"Indeed." Rei laid her bolero jacket on top of his suit and sat down on his lap. Without hesitation she went to work undoing his tie and unbuttoning the top button of his shirt. 

"Ah, thanks Misses Ayanami." The groom smiled.

"You are welcome, Mister Ayanami." She smiled back.

"Mmm, I like the sound of that." He laughed softly as he pulled her close and they kissed deeply, passionately for the first time as husband and wife.

"Now come on and tell the truth." Kensuke said as he walked up to the young couple. "You guys aren't really in love, you just got Rei in the motherly way, right Shinji?" He snickered.

It took a second for Rei to understand what he meant when he said, _'motherly way,'_ but once she understood she didn't hesitate to swing her foot at him, catching him in the shin with her heel as she glared at him.

"Ouch!" He hobbled away, "I was just joking."

"Serves you right for making a stupid joke like that you stooge." Asuka said as she walked past him and bumped him with her hip, knocking him off balance and sending him to the floor. "Here you go." She handed the newlyweds each a tall glass of iced tea.

"Ah, thanks Asuka." Shinji took his glass and gulped half of it down instantly.

"Thank you Asuka." Rei said as she sipped hers.

"So, lets get a good look at these rings you flow halfway around the world for." The redhead stated.

The bride held up her hand to show her Maid of Honor. 

"Oh my god! It's gorgeous!" She screamed.

Hikari and the other girls rushed over to look. 

"Oh my goodness. Shinji, that's incredible." Hikari added.

"It's so beautiful." Nozomi said, wide-eyed.

"Unbelievable!" Kimiko marveled.

"Thank you." Rei said happily. Then she turned her head and kissed her husband lovingly once again. "And thank you for such a beautiful wedding gift." She said then kissed him again.

Kaji walked in just then, supporting Misato who was still weeping uncontrollably. When she spotted her two wards she rushed over to them. "My children!" She cried. Quickly they stood up and embraced her, partially to share the joy she was feeling and partially to help keep her from falling over, her body was such a quivering wreck. Slowly they maneuvered her over to the sofa and sat her down, with each sitting on either side of her. 

"I'm so happy for you two." She said between the tears. She stroked their cheeks then held their hands tight as she looked back and forth, from one to the other. "I love you two so much."

"We know Misato. We love you too." Shinji said, smiling at his guardian as he rubbed her shoulder in an effort to comfort her. 

"I know…" She looked into his eyes. "I love you so much Shinji. I've tried to be like a mother to you. I'm sorry I wasn't a better mother. But I love you so much." She wept louder.

Pulling her head onto his shoulder, he stroked the back of her head. "You've been a great mother Misato. A boy couldn't ask for a better one." He reassured her.

"Or a girl." added Rei, while still holding her hand tightly.

"Oh Rei!" The purple haired woman turned to the young bride. "I love you so much. You're the best daughter a mother could ever wish for." 

"Hey, what am I? The black sheep of the family." Asuka teased as she held out a tissue for Misato.

Looking up at her other ward, the older woman burst into tears again as she reached up for the redhead. Grabbing her hands she pulled her down till she was kneeling in front of her. "NO! I'm sorry Asuka! I love you too. I didn't mean…" She lost her voice as she wept.

"Misato, I was just teasing. It's okay. Really." Asuka tried to assure her guardian. "Come on. We all know you love us and we all love you. Right?" She looked from Rei to Shinji.

"Asuka's right." Shinji said running his hand over her shoulder.

"Yes Misato. We all love you." Rei confirmed. "Please stop crying. If you do not, I am afraid I will soon be crying as well." 

"Hey, Rei's right." Asuka said. "Before you know it, you're going to have all of us crying. And the last thing the public needs to see is the whole wedding party wailing." 

"You're right. You're right." Slowly Misato began to regain her composure. "It was just so beautiful, the vows you took and the way you two were looking at each other." Her eyes welled up with tears again but she managed to keep from weeping this time.

As the wedding party relaxed, Misato was finally able to compose herself and was now sitting on a lounge chair with Kaji next to her. After about an hour Ritsuko walked into the room to inform them that the guests had all moved over to the reception area, which was the large patio area behind the clubhouse. Casually, everyone got up and started preparing themselves to go out to the reception. Ties were retied and makeup was applied, as Kaji and Misato make sure everyone was presentable. 

Assembling in proper order they made their way out of the clubhouse and to the reception. The orchestra had moved to a place close to the reception area and continued to play an assortment of music until it was announced the wedding party had arrived. At which point the conductor began playing Alla Hornpipe from Handel's Water Music. Each member of the wedding party was greeted with enthusiastic applause as they were introduced. Again, the media was kept a respectable distance away from the actual event while still having an unobstructed view.

The reception went on without incident; numerous speeches of congratulations were made, meals were served, people danced, and the bride and groom kissed several times to the approval of all. Not wanting to be out done by the media, halfway through the event, Kensuke went back into the clubhouse to retrieve his video camera. As he headed toward the exit to rejoin the reception, he was busy adjusting the camera's settings and failed to notice the redhead who had entered the clubhouse moments ago. She was on her cellphone making sure all the arrangements for taking the newlyweds off to their honeymoon were in order. As she spoke she stood facing the tinted windows, observing the activities outside. And as she ended the call and turned around, Kensuke's camera pressed firmly against her right breast.

"OH MY GOSH! I'M SORR…" Was all the boy got to say before the redhead's fist made contact with his diaphragm, knocking the air out of his lungs and sending him collapsing to the floor. 

"You Pervert!" She yelled as she stepped on his camera, breaking off the LCD viewfinder and rendering the device useless, then she turned and stormed out the clubhouse.

After about an hour the bride and groom made their way back into the clubhouse and to locker rooms where they changed. Asuka, Hikari, Touji, Misato and Kaji saw them off as the limousine pulled up to pick them up. As they exchanged hugs and handshakes, Rei asked her Maid of Honor. "You will still be here when we return, will you not?"

"Of course," The redhead assured her. "How can I leave without saying a proper goodbye? Now don't you worry about such things, go and have a wonderful time on your honeymoon. Okay?"

"We shall." Rei smiled and kissed her friend on the cheek. "We shall see you again in two weeks."

With that the young couple boarded the vehicle and were off as their loved ones waived goodbye.

"So, where exactly are we going for our honeymoon?" Shinji asked as he held his bride close.

Kissing him gently on the lips, she smiled. "You had your secret my love, now I have mine." 

"Well, all I hope is that it's not someplace too far. After over 30 hours in the air already, the last thing I want to do is spend all day in the air again." He laughed.

Rei just turned away.

Five days after the wedding

---

Rei stood at the balcony of they bedroom looking out at the quaint little village and rolling hills in Central Italy. The building they were staying in was over 400 years old and the village itself was over a thousand years old. Shinji stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist. After sleeping the first two days after their arrival, the young man made a point of never leaving his bride's side unless it was absolutely necessary. 

"Living in a modern city such as Tokyo3, I never considered the possibility that someplace as old as this could be so very beautiful." Rei observed as she rested her head upon his shoulder.

"Mmm, it is beautiful? Isn't it?" Her husband agreed. After a few minutes, he asked her, "What would you like to do today?"

"Perhaps a long walk along the countryside." She offered.

"Sounds romantic." He turned his head and kissed her ear.

"Mmm, yes it does. Perhaps we can leave in an hour or so." She replied.

"What do you want to do until then?" He replied innocently.

Turning in his arms she looked up at him and smiled. "I am sure we can think of something." Then she reached up and placing her hands on either side of his face she kissed him passionately, exploring his lips and tongue with hers.

"Mmm, yesh, I belieff you arr righ." He muffled out through pressed lips. Taking her by surprise, he picked her up in his arms and carried her over to their bed where they made love as young lovers do. 

Eleven days after the wedding

---

"I can't thank you enough Rei, for letting us cut our stay in Italy short." Shinji smiled.

"You are welcome. But I would like to know where it is we are going to." She replied as she gently ran her finger down his cheek and along this jaw line. 

"Someplace very out of the way to see someone very special." He smiled.

"This is not fair Shinji. You are keeping two secrets from me, I only kept one." She faked pouting.

"Where'd you learn that? From Asuka?" He teased.

"No, I do not ever recall seeing Asuka pout in this manner. Mother taught me it. She demonstrated how effective it can be on Kaji." She answered then made the pouty face again.

Laughing silently, Shinji caressed his bride's cheek and nodded, "Okay, I'll tell. We're going to see the jeweler who made our rings."

The blue-haired woman's expression changed to a questioning one. "But why?"

"You'll see soon enough." Her husband replied as the taxi came to a stop in front of the small cottage. After paying the fare and retrieving their bags, he took his wife's hand and positioned her at the side of the door so as not to be seen by the home's resident. Then he rang the doorbell.

After a few minutes an elderly gentleman came to the door. Speaking in his broken English he greeted the young pilot. "Shinji! I did not expect to see you again so soon. Is something wrong?" 

"No Mr. Fuhrman, nothing's wrong. I'm just keeping my promise, to pay you a visit if I was ever in Europe again."

"Well, what brings you to Europe this time around?"

"My honeymoon." The young man smiled then he reached out and took his bride's hand, and brought her into view. "Mr. Fuhrman, this is my wife, Rei Ayanami."

"Hello sir. It is a privilege to meet the artist that created such beautiful rings." Rei gave the elderly gentleman a gentle smile.

"Oh my god." Tears clouded the man's vision. Without a second thought he stepped forward and embraced the young woman. 

Rei instantly stiffened up, being caught off guard by the gentleman's gregarious nature. 

Sensing the young woman's discomfort the elderly man stepped away. "I'm terribly sorry. I don't know what came over me. This is just so unbelievable. It's like a dream come true. And Shinji was right. You are truly a heavenly vision." Wiping way a stray tear, he gestured for them to enter. "Please, please, come in, come in. How long can you stay?"

Shinji grabbed the bags as Rei walked in. "Only a couple of days I'm afraid."

"Well, that will be two days more then I could have ever hoped for. Shinji, go ahead and take the bags to the guest room. You remember where it is don't you?"

"Yes, Mr. Fuhrman. Not a problem." 

"Shinji, what did I tell you?"

Laughing lightly, the boy indulged the elderly man. "Sorry Uncle Carl."

"That's better." The gentleman smiled then turned his attention to the young woman. "Rei, may I call you Rei?" The man asked as he took her hand.

Rei was uncertain how to act around the elderly gentleman but sensing his benevolent nature, she smiled. "Yes, of course Mr. Fuhrman."

"Please, please call my Uncle Carl, I insist."

"Very well, Uncle Carl"

Smiling broadly the retired jeweler gestured to the sofa. "Please take a seat."

Later that evening

---

"And when he awoke two days later, he swore not to leave my side for the remainder our honeymoon. And he has not." Rei gently caressed her husband's cheek.

Shinji placed his hand over hers and kissed her palm then smiled at his love.

Uncle Carl silently sighed. _'Young love, is there anything more beautiful?'_ Shaking himself slightly he stood up from the kitchen table. "Would either of you like some more tea?" He offered.

"No thank you." Rei replied.

"I'm fine, thank you." Shinji added.

"Well, it's time for this old man to get some sleep. Please feel free to use whatever you need here. Consider this your home away from home." He started to pick up his cup and the teapot.

"Uncle Carl please, leave that. I'll take care of it." The young man insisted.

"But…" The gentleman started to protest.

"If you wish to make him feel at home Uncle Carl. I suggest you allow Shinji to pick up after you. There is no stopping him from doing it back home." She grinned slightly.

"Rei." Her husband blushed.

"It is true." She replied innocently.

Laughing heartily, the retired jeweler placed the items back down on the table. "Very well Rei. Well, goodnight you two lovebirds." He walked behind them and gave each a gentle pat on the shoulder and a kiss on the head. "Sleep well. Or whatever else you do. I'll see you in the morning." He laughed softly as he walked down the hall to his bedroom.

"Did he just insinuate that we will have sex tonight?" Rei asked.

Blushing slightly, Shinji nodded. "Yes, yes he did."

"Uncle Carl is an unusual gentleman." She stated then paused for a moment before adding. "I believe I like him."

Smiling, her husband leaned forward and kissed her softly. "Let me just clean up here then we can take a short walk outside. The lights from Zurich look really nice this time of night."

"Very well." She kissed him back then stood up. "I will retrieve our sweaters." 

Following the narrow path over the hill, the city of Zurich came into view as they reached crest. 

"It is lovely." Rei said as she looked down at the old city.

"You know something I've recently discovered Rei?" Shinji asked.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Everyplace is lovely as long as I'm with you." He answered.

Smiling, she placed her hand on his cheek and pressed her lips to his as tears rolled from her eyes. A few moments later she rested her cheek upon his shoulder and said, "Thank you Shinji my love. Thank you for bringing joy and love into my life. The person I was is but a shadow of the person I have become since you came into my life. Thank you."

"Thank you my love. All I knew in my life before you were loneliness and pain. I never thought I could find the kind of happiness, the kind of joy I've found with you. I never believed I could experience this type of joy until I met you. I love you Rei. I always will." And with that they kissed with all the love in their hearts. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Hope this lived up to all your expectations. Sorry it took so long but I wanted it to be right. I think I got it right. I hope you agree. What happens next you ask? Quite simply they stay a couple days then return home. Not much to day or write about that. I considered including Mr. Fuhrman seeing them off at the airport but I didn't really feel it was necessary. The remainder of the story should come much faster now, I hope. ^-^

I'd like to thank each and every one of you who have commented on my story. I really appreciate your input. Thank you very much. 

A. Amishi


	12. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it (A sequel to Random1377's, Crimson and Azure)

Chapter 11

2018

Three years and 5 months since Third Impact

---

Under a large pavilion constructed in the Geofront primarily for conducting press conferences, both Commander Fuyutsuki and Sub-Commander Katsuragi sang the praises of the departing Assistant Director of Operations to the assembly of NERV employees.

"… and in every way she has surpassed my highest expectations. Asuka, your departure will leave within NERV a void that will not easily be filled. But I have no concern for your future for I know that you possess the skills and strength of character to succeed in any venture you undertake. You take with you all our best wishes."

The contingent of nearly 800 employees applauded the commander's words as he walked over to Asuka who was seated just behind the podium and to its left. Embracing the young woman he bent over and kissed her on the cheek. "I wish you all the best Asuka. I know you'll do well in whatever you choose."

"Thank you Commander. It's been an honor working under you." She answered back with a smile.

"Would you like to say some words?" He gestured to the podium.

"Yes, please." She nodded as she pulled out a sheet of paper.

"By all means." He stepped aside so she could take the podium then he took his place next to Misato who sat to the right of the podium and applauded along with everyone else.

Taking a few deep breaths to settle her nerves, Asuka smiled and made a friendly gesture with her hand in an attempt to get the large crowd to quiet down. 

"Thank you." Turning slightly to face her bosses, "Thank you Commander Fuyutsuki and Sub-commander Katsuragi for your kind words." Turning back to the audience. "I must say there were a few times I had to look around to see if there was another Asuka Langley Souryu they were talking about." She smiled as the assembly laughed. As the pavilion quieted down again, she continued. "But seriously… when Sub-commander Katsuragi offered me to position of Assistant Director of Operations I was genuinely surprised, even a little stunned. Since I was seven years old, all I ever wanted to do was pilot Eva. To that end I trained, studied and worked. My ambitions never went beyond that. My first instinct was to turn down the offer but after careful consideration I decided to accept the challenge. And a challenge it has been. Misato, I apologize for all the times I berated you and cursed you for what I thought was a substandard performance on your part as Operations Director. Only after walking a mile in your shoes have I learned how difficult the task really was. I also thank you, for on many occasions I am sure there was nothing you would have liked to do more then to fire me or dress me down for my incompetence at times as your assistant. Instead you used those incidences as teaching opportunities. I thank you for your patience and understanding, for your encouragement and your support, and most of all I thank you for your love. You were more than a guardian to me, you were like a second mother and for this I will always be grateful."

Pausing briefly the audience applauded her kind words. 

A moment later she continued, "To Commander Fuyutsuki, I extend my greatest thanks for being a shining example of what a commander should be. You were both an inspiration and a role model for me to follow. When all is said and done, if I can look back at my life and say that I was half the person you are sir, I will have accomplished a great feat indeed. Thank you."

Again everyone applauded as Asuka walked from the podium over to her two bosses and embraced each of them warmly. 

A few moments later she returned to the podium and proceeded with her speech. "I made a list in hopes that I don't miss anyone. I have so many people I need to thank. Shinji called it my hit list." She smiled as everyone laughed lightly. "Well, here it goes. Doctor Ritsuko Akagi; thank you for treating me like an equal and not a child. A big thank you to Maya, Yuri and Kei-ichi, the finest operations team anywhere, also thank you to Yurika, Amano and Suzuka from the night staff and to all the junior operators as well. Thank you to the recovery crew chiefs, Takana, Suzuki and Ashitaka, and to their crews for the great work that do each and every time our pilots board the Evas. Thanks to department heads Onizuka, Keitaro, Mitsuko for working with me and making my job that much easier. Thank you to security staff, maintenance staff and personnel. Your contributions are too numerous to count and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for keeping our facility save, clean and for staffing us with the finest personnel in all the Japan, nay, all the world." 

Again, the assembly broke into applause.

After a few minutes, as the crowd quieted down again, Asuka proceeded. "There are but two people I have left to thank." She folded the paper she had in front of her and held it behind her back then she looked down from the podium to the first row, front-center and smiled.

"These two have been my co-pilots, … my colleagues, … my rivals, my enemies, … my roommates, my confidants, … and my dearest friends. I'm speaking of course of Shinji and Rei Ayanami. Shinji, you've been the best friend a girl could hope a boy could possibly be. I know I've called you an idiot and stupid more times then I can count…"

Everyone laughed, including Shinji. "But what you didn't know was that every time I called you those things, what I was really saying was, I love you. I love you Shinji Ayanami and I always will. You've ruined me for any other man, because every other man I meet will be compared to you; your gentle nature, your loyalty and devotion to those you love, your cooking and anal retentive cleaning habits." She smiled.

This brought about another round of laughter. This time the young male pilot blushed but smiled despite himself. 

"You are one of my two dearest friends and I will love you always." After pausing for a moment to compose herself, Asuka went on. "Rei, I once warned you that if you faltered in your love for Shinji, I'd be there to take him from you. Well, let me say here and now. You have nothing to worry about from me, ever. A truer love, I have never witnessed and probably never will. Besides that, how could I possibly take away that which rightly belongs to my dearest friend in the entire world? Rei, getting to know you and being your friend over these past three and a half years has been the greatest joy of my life. There are many things I will miss about Tokyo3 and NERV, but none greater then you. I love you Rei. You're the best friend a girl could ever have." With that, Asuka walked past the podium to the edge of the short stage and jumped down, into the waiting arms of Shinji and Rei. 

"I love you Asuka." Rei said and she embraced her friend. "And I always shall."

"So will I Asuka, so will I." Shinji added.

As the friends embraced, the people in attendance applauded. Misato eventual came to the podium and quieted down the crowd. "Well, this is a celebration after all, so everyone is invited over at the park just across the way. Thank you all for attending." Completing this task, she jumped off the platform and embraced her former ward once again. "I'm going to miss you so much." She said with a sad smile.

"So will I Misato." The redhead mirrored her guardian's expression. "Well, come on. No tears today, lets go celebrate okay." She put on a happy face. 

"Okay!" Everyone agreed as they made their way over to the festivities. Getting there took some time since every step of the way Asuka was stopped by a well-wisher. 

The celebration went on well into the night as four different bands alternated turns playing music, food and drinks were keep in plentiful supply the entire time and Asuka was more then willing to receive everyone who wanted a moment of her time. It was a few minutes before 2am when the last of the guests left and Asuka and her friends sat around one of the tables in the dinning tent. 

"I can't believe how patient you were with everyone that wanted to speak with you Asuka." Shinji said.

"I thought for sure after about a half an hour of that, you'd have thrown a fit and chased everyone off." Misato added.

"Come on, give me some credit. I mean, it's not like I'll have an opportunity to spend time with any of them any time soon. It was the least I could do. Besides, they were here to wish me well. I couldn't be so rude as to just blow them all off." Asuka defended herself. Looking at her watch she added. "Well, I don't know about the rest of you but I'm beat and I promised Hikari and her friends, I'd spend tomorrow morning with them." She stood from the table and stretched. 

"You're right we should be getting home." Misato said as she got up and offered a hand to Kaji who was barely awake. 

As they made their way to up to Tokyo3, Asuka asked Rei. "Would you like to join me tomorrow morning?"

"You need to spend time with your friends. I do not wish to get in the way." Rei stated.

"Rei, you're my friend. I want you to come with me." The redhead replied.

Looking over at her husband, Shinji just shrugged. "It's okay by me, I've got class tomorrow."

Turning back to her friend, Rei responded, "Very well. I shall accompany you, if you wish."

"Yes, that's what I wish." The redhead smiled.

The next morning

---

"So what do you think?" Hikari asked, turning all the way around slowly to allow her friends to see. 

"Looks great on you Hikari." One said.

"Yeah, it looks really good on you." Said another.

"What do you think Asuka?" The brown-haired girl asked.

"I think it looks nice but why don't you ask Rei?" The redhead replied.

"Rei?" The brunette gave her friend a questioning stare but did as she suggested. "Rei, what do you think?"

Rei turned to look at Hikari, staring at her up and down several times before speaking. Then she said, "The style and color suits you but the trim contrasts your hair and eyes too much. Besides, it will be difficult to find shoes that will match that trim color." Pointing to the same styled dress on the rack that had a rust colored trim instead. "That one there would suit you better."

Hikari walked over and grabbed the dress Rei was pointing at off the rack. "This one?" 

"Yes." The blue-haired girl replied.

After trying it on and receiving the approval from everyone, the Senior Class President, went and purchased the item.

"Nice call Rei." Asuka said with a smile, out of hearing range of the others.

"You could have made the same suggestion. You have done the same for me in the past." Rei replied.

"Yeah, but I won't be here to make those suggestions for her after tomorrow. You will." The redhead replied.

"Are you suggesting I take the time to socialize with Hikari and her friends?" The young bride asked.

"I'm not suggesting anything. I'm just saying, you're too good a person not to share yourself with others." The former AOD answered.

"Thanks Rei, that was a great suggestion." Hikari said, taking her by the elbow. "Where should we go for the shoes?" She asked. 

Rei followed her out the store, staring at Hikari's hand wrapped around her elbow. Finally, she looked up. "I prefer to go to Erinuki Shoes. They have a wide selection though they tend to cost a bit more then other places."

"Erinuki's it is then." Hikari smiled as they walked.

Asuka smiled happily. _'You're going to be all right Rei. I'm sure of it.' _

"Coming Asuka?" Erina Kanzaki, one of Hikari's classmates asked as the other girls followed their friend and the blue-haired girl.

"Yeah." Asuka quickly got in step with the others, still smiling happily.

Two days after Asuka's farewell celebration at NERV

---

"Well, that's my plane." Asuka said, standing.

"Are you sure you wouldn't prefer to fly on a NERV transport? I could have one ready to take you in less then an hour." Misato offered one last time.

"Thanks but no. I might as well start getting used to my life as a civilian. … Civilian. Always seemed like a dirty word to me before." The redhead chuckled.

"Don't be a stranger. Call and be sure to call us when you get there, okay." Shinji pulled her into an embrace. 

"Yes daddy." She squealed in a teasing manner. Getting very serious suddenly, she touched his cheek gently and added. "You be happy, and you make sure you keep your wife happy. That's my best friend you're married to, remember. I won't tolerate you taking her for granted. You hear me."

"I promise." He smiled, then leaned in and kissed her on the cheek and whispered. "I love you Asuka."

"I know." She held him tight. 'I love you too."

"Take care of yourself Asuka." Kaji hugged her tightly, laughing softly he pulled back and added. "I'm sure it won't be hard for you. You always did anyway." 

"Thanks Kaji. You helped teach me how." She smiled up to him.

"If you need anything, anything at all. Don't hesitate to contact me, okay." Misato informed her as she held her close to her heart.

"I'll remember. Thank you Misato, thank you for being my guardian, my supervisor, my mentor… but most of all, my friend. I know I didn't tell you nearly as often as I should have… but… I love you, you know this don't you." Unshed tears began to cloud her vision.

"I know, I love you too Asuka. I love you too." The purple-haired woman held her close.

Finally, Asuka looked left and right searching for someone. "Where is Rei?"

Everyone else began looking around as well. Finally, spotting her standing several feet away her head hung low, lost in thought.

"Rei, what's wrong?" Asuka asked as she walked up to her friend.

Rei looked up with her tear-stained face and stared at her dearest friend.

"I spent the past few days trying to think of the perfect thing to say. Something intelligent and inspiring, but all I can think of now is how much I am going to miss you. How I spent most of my life shielding myself from others and now when I've opened myself up, the friend I care most about is leaving. And I do not know if I can bear it. What will I do?" Tears began to roll down her face once again. "Is this not selfish of me to think this way? Is it not selfish and childish?"

Asuka pulled her into a strong embrace and whispered out between her how tears. "No Rei, it's not; it's human. I love you so much. You're the dearest friend, the best sister a girl could ever hope to have."

"But I am not your sister." Confusion etched on the blue-haired girl's face.

"You are if you're willing to be." The redhead smiled.

Rei returned the smile. "Nothing would make me happier than to be your sister." And they tightened their embrace once more. "I shall call you, all the time." She assured.

"You better." Asuka teased. "As for what you will do. You know how to make friends now. I expect you to make lots of them. Well, maybe not lots but at least a few good ones at least."

"You taught me how to become a friend." 

"See, you learned from the best. Now it's your job to put what I taught you to practice. I think you got a pretty good start yesterday." 

"I will try." Rei smiled.

"Good." Asuka smiled back.

"_Last call for Air Japan Flight 1011 to San Francisco."_

"That's my flight." 

"Goodbye Asuka." Rei said sadly.

"No good-byes, just… till we meet again." She smiled once again.

Rei slowly smiled. "Yes… yes, till we meet again."

Asuka took her small carry-on bag from Shinji and waved farewell. "Till we meet again, my f… my family."

They waved back and she was gone.

In the drive back to their apartment, Shinji held Rei close trying to easy her sadness. "It'll be okay Rei, you'll see."

From the driver's seat Kaji said, "why don't we pick up some carryout? I don't think anyone's up to cooking tonight."

"That's a good idea Hon." His wife said as she gave his hand a squeeze and forced a faint smile for his benefit.

"What do you guys say?" He looked at the Ayanamis through the rearview mirror.

"I am not hungry." Rei whispered.

"Anything will be fine." Shinji looked up and smiled at Kaji's reflection.

Later that night they all sat around the Ayanamis' family room sharing their fondest Asuka stories.

"She stood there dumbfounded for a minute, not sure what to do but she didn't turn to me for help. Finally, Ritsuko got tired of waiting and started instructing Maya to lower Shinji's cerebral connection ratio. Suddenly, Asuka snapped at her, telling Ritsuko she was in command and to just shut up. Then she started barking out commands left and right. And you know every one of them was right on. That was it. That was when I knew for sure that I'd made the right decision in choosing Asuka to be my successor.

"Sounds like Asuka. I remember the first time I met her during the first activation test of Unit 02 in Bonn. Everyone in the control room was on pins and needles because of what had happened nearly eight years earlier but when Asuka walked in the room, her confidence and commanding presence gave everyone a boost. I remember thinking, there was no way this was just a fourteen year-old girl." Kaji added.

"I will never be able to perform the job of Director as well as she did." Rei said sadly.

"Rei, you won't do the job the way Asuka did it. And you shouldn't even try. You'll need to find your own style of command. The key to command is not necessarily overwhelming your subordinates with your presence but rather to convey intelligence and confidence in yourself and in them. If you can do that, then those under you will follow." Misato tried explaining.

Rei nodded, thankful for the reassuring words.

Silence filled the room for a few minutes.

Finally Kaji asked, "So Shinji, what do you think was Asuka's high point as a pilot? I bet it was when she took out all those production units, wasn't it?"

"Well, that was amazing, but personally, I think her finest moment was after Rei showed her up during the early stages of our sync training."

Rei, who was sitting on the floor next to the couch with her head on Shinji's lap, looked up with a sense of hurt in her eyes. Shinji stroked her hair and gave her a reassuring smile. "She was so upset by that she stormed out of the house. Hikari insisted I go apologize to her so I left to find her. When I finally did find her she had just bought herself a bunch of snacks and drinks from the store. I don't remember where we ended up but I remember she was determined to prove to everyone that she was the best pilot. She spoke with such determination and confidence. I couldn't help but admire her, and wish that I were more like her. And she did it. It wasn't easy but we both did it. Yeah, I think Rei and I would have had a much easier time of it had Misato changed the personnel order and had Rei pilot Unit 02 instead but you know, I'm glad she didn't because having to work as hard as we did… I can honestly say I became a better pilot after that experience."

Rei smiled up at her husband and he bent over and kissed her on the top of her forehead.

"What about you Rei?" Kaji asked.

"Excuse me?" She failed to understand the question.

"What do you think was Asuka's high point as a pilot?"

Rei paused for a moment then said. "Well, it is difficult for me to say. My… relationship… with Asuka before Third Impact was more of an adversarial one so I did not spend much time considering what she did right but rather focused on what she did wrong." She paused once again. "But there was one time… when NERV lost all power and we had to crawl through the air-duct system to get to the control center. Asuka immediately assumed command and proceeded to get us lost. During the whole ordeal I could not help but think, she was so very arrogant and incompetent. But after we got to our Evas and reached the shaft where the angel had positioned itself, she quickly came up with a strategy of attack and assumed the most dangerous position herself. Shinji dispatched the angel rather easily with the pulse rifle but I believe the task was made easy by Asuka's planning and execution. I had to re-evaluate my assessment of the Second Child after that mission."

They fell silent once again when Misato finally looked at her watch. "Man, it's already one in the morning. Shouldn't she have arrived in Bonn by now?"

"Yes, she should have landed over an hour ago." Kaji informed.

"Maybe she's just getting situated over there first." Shinji suggested.

Suddenly the phone rang. Rei sprang up and grabbed the phone. "Hello, Asuka?"

"HI REI! CAN YOU HEAR ME OVER THE NOISE!" Asuka had one hand covering her ear as she pressed the phone tightly to the other.

"Barely. What is the cause of the disturbance?" Rei asked.

"Me apparently." She laughed.

"What do you mean?" The blue-haired girl asked.

"Well, apparently I am something of a national hero here. There were over ten thousand people waiting to greet me when I got off the plane. I was taken by limousine to what used to be the Prime Minister's mansion back when Bonn was the capital, for a banquet being held in my honor. Tomorrow I'm the guest of honor in a ticker-tape parade through the downtown area. Can you believe it?" The redhead's excitement was clearly evident in her voice.

Rei was silent for a moment as she tried to digest all her friend just told her. "It is amazing. I am so happy for you."

"What?" Shinji asked.

"What's going on?" Misato added.

Rei held up a finger asking them to wait a moment. "So all is well then?"

"I'll say. I'm already scheduled to meet the Prime Minister this week and next week I'm supposed to go speak to the whole German Parliament. I've go interviews scheduled with every major talk show and news show in the country over the next week and a half. Can you believe it? I'm going to have to get myself an assistant just to keep track of my public engagements."

"That is wonderful." 

But before Rei could go on. Asuka continued. "I'm sorry but I'm being called over to the podium again. I've got to let you go, but I wanted to let you guys know I got here okay and everything is fine. I'll be sure to call again sometime tomorrow okay. Bye." The line went dead before Rei could respond.

Rei stared at the phone for a moment before hanging it up.

"What happened? Did you get cut off? Is she going to call back? Shinji asked.

"No she hung up. She was needed elsewhere." Rei replied.

"Elsewhere? What happened?" Misato asked.

"Apparently, Asuka is regarded as a national hero in Germany." The new Assistant Operations Director said.

"What?" The rest all responded in unison.

"According to Asuka, there were over ten thousand people waiting to greet her at the airport and now she is at the mansion, that was once used as the Prime Minister's estate, for a banquet in her honor." Rei continued.

"That's incredible." Misato gasped.

"She has numerous public engagements already planned, including a meeting with the Prime Minister and an invitation to speak before Parliament." Rei added.

"Well, what to you know?" Kaji said, shaking his head in astonishment. "The girl's done good for herself." He smiled.

"So is she going to be too busy to talk to us now?" Shinji inquired.

"She said she would call tomorrow but was uncertain of the time." Rei concluded.

Misato stood up and stretched, letting out a small yawn. "Well, that was kind of anti-climactic. Thank goodness we don't have to work tomorrow." Taking Kaji's hand to help him off the sofa, she smiled. "Goodnight Rei, goodnight Shinji."

"Goodnight Misato." Shinji replied as he stood up.

"Goodnight mother." Rei replied.

Misato smiled broadly, and gave Rei small finger wave as she and Kaji walked out the family room and to the door.

"Goodnight" Kaji said with a wave as they left.

Seeing his wife deep in thought, Shinji walked up to her and hugged her warmly. "Is something wrong Rei?"

She looked up at her husband. "Do you think she will forget about us?" She asked with a hint of concern in her tone.

"Asuka? Not a chance. You'll see, after the fanfare over her return to Germany settles down, we'll be hearing from her as regular as clock work." Shinji assured her. _'At least I hope so.'_

They walked hand in hand to their bedroom and out of habit closed the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Could there be any doubt that Asuka would land on her feet, running. ^_^ This is Asuka Langley Souryu we're talking about here. The end is near. About two maybe three more chapters. Hope you like what I have in store. 

By the way, thanks for all the reviews on my last chapter. Though, I am a bit confused by some of the comments I received. Isn't romance, almost synonymous with WAFF? This story is categorized as a Drama/Romance. It was a wedding/honeymoon chapter. What else did you expect??? :P

Anyway, thanks for all the comments and be sure to keep that insulin handing. You just never know. ^-^

A. Amishi


	13. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it (A Sequel to Random1377's, Crimson and Azure)

Chapter 12

Three years and eight months after Third Impact

---

(In German)

"Our very special guest today, as you all know, is the hero of the Angel Wars, none other then Germany's very own savior, Asuka Langley Souryu." Wilhelm Closter, Germany's most popular talk show host announced as he joined his live audience in enthusiastically applauding his guest.

Asuka walked onto the stage dressed in a formfitting red mini-dress with a plunging neckline and red pumps with a three-inch heel. She waved warmly at the throngs of well wishers who crowded the auditorium. Normally, the show was taped in a studio that had seating for about 300. Because of Asuka's popularity, the show was moved to Berlin Polytechnic Institute's, main auditorium which sat over 3,000. Every seat was taken and another 5,000 people stood outside the complex watching two giant screens, which aired the show. Asuka spent nearly ten minutes walking back and forth across the stage waving at the audience and posing for photos, which flashed continuously. Smiling widely she blew kisses to the young men in the audience and showed her approval to the young woman in the audience who styled themselves after her by gesturing with either a thumbs up or victory sign. Eventually she walked over to the host and gave him a friendly hug and kiss on the cheek. The forty-year-old man jokingly faked a heart attack.

"Now I can die a happy man." He teased.

Asuka laughed as she took her seat next to the host.

"So Asuka, may I call you Asuka?" He asked.

"Only if I can call you Willy." She smiled.

"Young Miss, you can call me anything you like." He laughed and the audience joined in. "So how does it feel being the savior of the world?"

The audience erupted in applause again. Asuka laughed and gestured for them to please quiet down.

"Well, I never considered myself a savior." She replied.

"How about hero then?" He amended.

"Well, it's been all a little overwhelming actually." She smiled. "Back in Tokyo3, I was respected but nothing like this. This is all quite overwhelming to tell you the truth."

"But you are a hero. You do know that?" He added.

"Well, I suppose but I was just one of many hero's during the Angel Wars." She corrected.

"Many heroes?" Wilhelm gave her a confused look.

"Well, of course. There were the other two Eva pilots, Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami, as well as Misato Katsuragi, our Operations Director and Ritsuko Akagi the Head of Project E. Even Commander Gendo Ikari."

Mention of that name drew boos and hisses from the audience.

Asuka nodded her head in agreement. "I know!" She laughed. "I know but to be honest, during the Angel Wars, he did his part to defeat the monsters as did the current commander, Kouzou Fuyutsuki. They were all instrumental in defeating the Angels, along with countless others who provided invaluable support." She explained.

"Yes of course, in any war there are many people in the background that perform valuable services." The host agreed. "But you were the one up front, the one putting life and limb on the line time and time again. You had the most kills did you not? And you were the one who brought about the end of Third Impact? Yes?"

"Well, actually, Shinji Ikari had the most kills of the three of us and while I suppose I was the one who technically brought an end to Human Instrumentality, we all did our part to restore the world we now live in." She corrected.

These comments were met with a lukewarm response by the host and audience. 

"Well, we need to break for a commercial and when we come back, we'll see how many details we can get Asuka to reveal about the Angel Wars, the Evas and Third Impact. Don't go away." The host pointed at the camera as if pointing to the actual viewers. The audience broke into ecstatic applause once again.

At Tokyo3, Unit 01 stood on the launch pad waiting for liftoff. In the command center down in Central Dogma, Rei stood two meters behind the operators directing the launch. Misato was standing next to her.

"Current status of the Eva and its pilot." She whispered.

The systems operator did not respond.

Leaning over toward her assistant, Misato whispered to her. "You need to speak louder."

Rei nodded, cleared her throat and repeated. "Current status of the Eva and its pilot."

Systems Operator Yuri replied. "Eva is active and operating within designated parameters. The pilot's respiration is shallow but his heart rate is a bit accelerated. But still within acceptable parameters ma'am."

"Status of the rocket busters." The AOD said with a quiet but commanding voice.

"Both rocket busters appear to be functioning properly for pre-launch burn. Systems are all normal." 

As the moment for actual liftoff approached, Rei's own heart began to race. _'Please, please, let my Shinji return safely to me. You must return to me my love. I do not have the will to carry on without you… Enough, I must do my job if I want him back in my arms safely. Concentrate.'_ She scolded herself.

As the launch proceeded, Rei ran through the long list of system checks, verifying everything was functioning properly. Forty-five minutes after the launch Rei spoke to her husband for the first time since T-minus three minutes before the launch.

"Lieutenant Ayanami, are you prepared to commence the exercise?" She asked.

A moment later, she received his response. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Proceed with phase one of the exercise." She commanded.

"Activating main thrusters." The pilot informed the ground staff and two relatively small thrusters mounted on the back of Unit 01 came to life. "Setting course to weather satellite Nergal TP1-552. Starting slow burn." And the Eva began moving through space toward the old inoperable satellite. As he approached the device, the pilot relayed. "Activating adjustment thrusters." And four smaller thrusters mounted in Unit 01's shoulders and thighs came to life. "Adjusting speed and angle of approach."

Back at Central Dogma, Maya informed the Directors, "Eva Unit 01 is three degrees off course. At its present heading and speed it will collide with the satellite."

  
"What are the necessary course corrections?" The Assistant Operations Director asked.

Again Misato leaned over and whispered. "You don't need to know that, just relay the necessary information to the pilot before its too late."

"Ignore the previous order, calculate course and speed adjustment and relay it to the pilot." Rei corrected.

A moment later, "Done ma'am."

"Make sure he received the course adjustments." The sub-commander said under her breath.

"Lieutenant Ayanami, have you received the necessary course adjustments?" She inquired.

"Adjustments received and completed. I am 100 meters from the satellite approaching at a rate of 3 meters per second and decelerating." He relayed.

Forty-five seconds later, the pilot announced, "I am at the satellite in a synchronous orbit with the device." 

"Very good Lieutenant. Commence…" The AOD ordered.

"Make sure he's okay. Talk to him Rei. Give him a chance to catch his breath." Her boss told her softly.

"Lieutenant Ayanami, how are you feeling?" His wife asked.

"I'm feeling good. My hands are a little tight. I guess I was gripping the controls a little harder than usual but other than that. I'm okay." He replied.

"Take a moment to relax your arms. This next phase will require a good degree of manual dexterity. It will be more difficult if you are tense." She informed him.

"Okay, Rei… I mean, Lieutenant." Shinji smiled, as he blushed a little bit. He knew his wife preferred to use their professional titles when they were working. She found it helped to keep her focused on her job and prevented her from letting her emotions get in the way of her duties. After about a minute of shaking his hands and arms and relaxing his shoulders and neck, Shinji informed her. "I am ready to proceed with phase two Lieutenant."

"Very well Lieutenant, proceed with phase two." Rei replied.

The pilot slowly opened the access panel to the satellite. Carefully, he removed several circuit-plasma boards and replaced them with boards he had in a secured case attached to the Unit 01's right hip. Placing the old ones back in the case he then carefully closed the panel. It took him fifty minutes and afterward he reported the completion of the second phase.

"Relay satellite course correction the Unit 01." Rei ordered.

"Information transmitted." Maya replied.

"Lieutenant Ayanami, are you ready to proceed with phase three of the exercise?" She asked.

"Yes, I am. Securing the satellite." Shinji announced as he took hold of the device and prepared to reposition it at its new orbit. "Setting course… firing main thrusters." 

It took him twenty minutes to position the satellite and another fifteen minutes of course and velocity adjustments to get it in the correct orbit, but in the end, everyone acknowledged the exercise as a resounding success. With Eva Unit 01 commencing reentry, the task of overseeing its successful return to earth was now in the hands of Ritsuko out in the Oklahoma plains. While the Tokyo3 staff continued to monitor its progress, there really wasn't anything they could do at this point. Everyone relaxed and congratulated each other over a successful mission, everyone except Rei how continued to monitor the Eva's progress and did not relax until it had safely landed. 

Knowing better than to disturb her assistant until her husband was safely on the ground, Misato waited till then to walk up to her and congratulate her on a successful mission.

"You did very well Rei. You should be proud of yourself." The sub-commander informed her.

"Thank you mother, though I should have done better." The blue-haired girl replied.

"That will come with time and experience. Overall, I'd say you did a fine job. Now come on. Lets go home, we have a welcome home party to arrange." Misato put a reassuring arm around the girl's shoulder as they left the empty command center.

Four years after Third Impact

---

(In English)

Speaking before a joint session of United States Congress, the Justices of the Supreme Court and the President, his Cabinet and the Vice-President; Asuka concluded her speech on the importance of declassifying the events surrounding the Angel Wars and Third Impact.

"Trust, in our governments, in our politicians, in humanity in general is key to the continued progress of the human race. If we continue in our attempt to keep secrets from the people of the world, simply in order to preserve our personal welfare we threaten the welfare of everyone on this planet. NERV had always been shrouded in secrecy. It's missions, its accomplishments, its failures were all kept secret from the world. But the world has a right, nay a responsibility to know the truth. And you the freely elected representatives of the United States of America have a responsibility to your people and the people of the world, as leaders within the United Nations to lead the way in the declassification of these secrets. For only by revealing our deepest darkest secrets can the human race move forward. Thank you."

The response was a combination of enthusiastic applause to polite applause to a refuse to even stand in acknowledgement of the speech or the speaker. The newly elected President and his supports were most enthusiastic in there response. This was understandable, since it was the President himself who personally requested that Asuka come and speak before the joint session of congress. 

As the applause continued, Asuka made her way from the podium, shaking hands with the Speaker of the House, the Vice-President and the Senatorial Whip. Then she made her way over to the Supreme Court Justices and finally to the President and his cabinet, shook hands with them as well.

Later that evening, Asuka was at the White House for a state dinner in her honor. Dressed in a crimson off the shoulder evening gown, she sat next to the President and entertained his other guests with amusing tales of the grueling yet in retrospect, amusing training she and Shinji had to go through in order to defeat the Seventh Angel. 

"And then the little pervert freely admitted to trying to kiss me while I slept the night before the battle." She concluded.

Everyone at the table broke into middle laughter. After a few moments the President responded. "It must have been difficult, not only fighting off the Angels but also fighting off the advances of countless admirers, including your fellow pilot."   
  
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it difficult." Asuka took a sip of water from her wine glass.

"What would you call it Miss Souryu?" The Chief of Staff asked from across the table. 

Pausing for just a moment she replied. "I suppose I would simply call it…" Her thoughts went to Shinji; how they were virtually inseparable during the sync training, how she made a point of avoiding him after the battle was over, how she reacted when he started teaching Rei how to play the cello, how he held her after her personal defeat at the hands of the 15th Angel, how she tried to seduce him when she briefly lost her mind, how he came to her when she was in the hospital and spoke to her even though she was practically catatonic, how he promised to love her always as she left Tokyo3 to start a new life back home in Germany. "… life as an Eva pilot." She smiled.

"Well said." The President declared.

"Yes indeed, well said." The Secretary of State agreed as he raised his glass. "To Asuka Langley Souryu, the hero of the Angel Wars."

Everyone at the table followed suit. "To Asuka." They said in unison.

Asuka smiled politely and offered her thanks but privately she thought. _'I wasn't the only one you know. Why does everyone always forget them?' _She sighed softly, choosing to keep these feelings to herself for the time being.

As the evening wore on, Asuka found herself dancing with everyone from the President, and the Speaker of the House to several junior senators and one particularly handsome young colonel. Since she was not at all familiar with U.S. politics she didn't think anything was particularly out of place when a senior congressman asked her to dance. The elderly gentleman was polite enough and was a rather skilled dancer. It wasn't till he spoke did she realize who she was really dancing with.

"So Miss Souryu, are you really ready for the consequences of having all of NERV's dirty little secrets revealed?" He asked.

"Excuse me?" She gave him a surprised look.

"I wonder how the world would react if they knew one of NERV's former pilots and now its new Director of Operations wasn't entirely human but was in fact part of the very thing that tried to destroy us?"

Asuka's temperature rose as a very serious expression crossed her face. "Rei Ayanami may possess some physiological differences from you and I but I assure you Congressman, she is as human as anyone on this planet."

"But will the world see it the same way. Or would your friend be best served if this little piece of information never saw the light of day." He added.

"Most everyone in NERV and in Japan for that matter already knows of Ms. Ayanami's origins. She has never attempted to keep it a secret from anyone. She has no shame in who or what she is. If people have a problem with it, it will only be due to their own ignorance." She stated.

"And you will be the one to educate them I suppose?" He continued. 

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing really. I just can't help wonder why four years after Third Impact you suddenly feel the need for total disclosure of these events? Could it be for personal gain? Financial gain?" He said in an accusatory manner.

"Congressman, I have not contacted nor have I been contacted by any publishers what so ever. I have no desire to write my life story. Though if in doing so I could help reveal the truth about NERV, the Angel Wars and Seele. I would not hesitate one moment." She shot him a suspicious stare.

The mention of the secret organization that tried to manipulate human events for their own purposes caused the congressman to flinch just a touch but enough to let Asuka know she hit a nerve. Recovering quickly, the congressman replied. "And would this story of yours include you own mental breakdown?"

"It was a part of my life. A part of what made me who I am today. I have no reason to hide it from anyone." She replied.

"So you would freely destroy the image of Asuka Langley Souryu, the invincible hero of the Angel Wars and reveal her to be an unstable frightened little girl?" The elderly man offered.

"The image of me as the invincible hero is not one of my making. Nothing would please me more than to do away with that illusion." As the song came to an end, she freed herself from the congressman's hold. "Goodnight Congressman Caffy, I'm sure we will be seeing more of each other in the future."

"Oh, of this I am also sure." The elderly man bowed politely and walked away. 

The President's aid came up to Asuka and asked. "Are you alright Miss Souryu?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She said still looking after the elderly man.

"I'm terribly sorry, I should have warned you about Congressman Caffy." The aid apologized. "He was only invited as a sign of bipartisanship, but he is the President's staunchest opponent against declassification. I'm terribly sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Asuka turned with a smile. "I'm not about to let some old fossil intimidate me." Looking the aid over once, she asked. "Robert isn't it? Have we danced yet?"

"Oh, n-no ma'am we haven't, but there are so many other more important…" He started saying.

Placing her finger over his mouth to silence him, the young lady in red stated pointedly. "Robert, if you've done your research, you know I'm a woman who is accustom to getting her way. And right now, what I want is to dance with you. Understood?" She asked but before he could reply she added. "Shake your head yes."

He obliged.

"Good, now, lets dance." Asuka commanded and the young aid obeyed.

Four years and one month after Third Impact

---

"So then what happened?" Asuka asked over the cordless phone as she walked from her bathroom to her bedroom in her London apartment wearing only her underwear as she searched for a bottle of nail polish remover.

"We ended the test of course. It took three cranes 72 minutes to pull Unit 00 free from the lake so we could eject the entry plug." Rei explained.

"You must have let the kid really have it." Asuka replied as she continued her search.

"It was not necessary, Shinji took Pilot Takana's failure as a personal attack on his abilities as a teacher and he proceeded to… What was it mother said? … Oh, yes, proceeded to **_'rip him a new one'_** I believe was the expression she used."

Asuka laughed wholeheartedly. "Now that I would have liked to have seen. Oh, there it is." She grabbed the bottle as well as a bag of cotton balls and made her way to the living room. "So did you fire the young stooge?"

"It was not necessary. He resigned the next day." Rei informed her as she typed up a report from her computer in her study.

Asuka laughed again. "Okay, so that's how many pilots you guys have gone through so far? Seven?"

"Technically, only six. Former Pilot Emishi left due to personal reasons unrelated to his experience at NERV." Rei corrected as she closed the report she was working one and opened another.

"So he said." Asuka teased.

"I have no reason to…" Rei considered not only what Asuka said, but also the tone she used in saying it. "You are being sarcastic are you not?"

"Rei, I'm impressed, you're finally noticing." The redhead said with a smile as she wiped the nail polish off her toenails. 

Not sure if this follow-up statement was also meant to be sarcasm or not, the AOD decided to play it safe and change the subject. "So how was you're trip to the Americas?"

"The capital was nice and so was New York City but they took me to a baseball game there. Talk about boring. Canada was very pretty. I got to spend a weekend camping in Nova Scotia. That was really nice." She said as she tossed the used cotton ball into the nearby wastebasket and grabbed another one. 

"Were you successful in persuading them to vote for full disclosure?" Rei asked stopping from her work long enough to listen for the redheads answer.

"It's still too early to tell, the next meeting of the General Assembly won't be for another two months, and the opponents of declassification in both countries will try and put off any vote till the very last minute." The redhead paused for a moment then when on. "You know Rei, I've been meaning to talk to you about this whole disclosure thing."

"I know what you are going to say." Rei assured her. "You are concerned that with declassification the facts about my origin will become public knowledge. You are concerned how this will affect me. How it will impact my life."

"Man, you're getting really good. I mean it." Asuka replied.

"Shinji and I have had this same discussion several times, particularly with the vote on declassification certain to take place in the near future. He has made it very clear to me that no matter what happens he will always be with me, and that is all that really matters to me. But in addition, both Commander Fuyutsuki and mother have stated unequivocally that they will support me and will not allow public opinion to effect my position at NERV."

Asuka breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad to hear that." She tossed another used cotton ball way as she stretched her legs out straight ahead of her and lightly kicked up and down so they would dry more quickly. "Speaking of mother, here is she? I tried calling a couple times this week and no answer."

"She and Kaji are on vacation in Okinawa." Rei replied as she went back to typing her report.

"Okinawa, at this time of year?" The redhead replied.

"That was my response but they were determined to go snorkeling in Okinawa. Something about not having had an opportunity when they were fourteen." The blue-haired woman clarified.

The redhead laughed, remembering her conversation with Kaji when he took her to buy a swimsuit for her class school trip to Okinawa. A trip she didn't get a chance to go on.

They continued to talk about an assortment of topics for another hour when Shinji finally arrived home after a late and long training session. The blue-haired girl wished her sister well and gave the phone to her husband who proceeded to talk with the redhead for another hour. During that time the blue-haired girl completed her report, laid out her clothes for the next day, and took a shower. 

With his back to their bedroom, Shinji didn't hear her approach. 

"Goodnight my love. I am going to bed now." His wife said. 

The veteran pilot turned around to wish her a good night sleep when his eyes went wide upon seeing what she was wearing. She leaned forward placing her hands on his chest and rising up on her toes; she kissed him; gently at first but with more hunger and desire with each passing moment. Slowly stepping back she smiled at him and added. "Don't be long." Then she turned and headed back the their room.

"Asuka, it's been great talking to you but I've got to go." The young man said. 

"Let me guess, Rei just walked up to you naked, didn't she you pervert?" She teased.

"She was not naked. She had a towel on." He protested.

"Where? Around her neck no doubt. I bet she was using it to dry her hair." She continued teasing the boy.

"Well, it's still a towel. Besides, its not perverted to have sexual desires for your spouse." He defended himself.

"Whatever." She checked her watch; "I've got to get ready anyway so you have a good time, though I'm sure that's what you had in mind."

"ASUKA!" Shinji turned beet-red.

"Man, you're so easy to embarrass, even half a world away." She laughed. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Okay, take care of yourself." He said.

" Always. Till next time." She concluded.

"Till next time." And with that they each hung up their phones. 

Shinji didn't waste any time getting undressed having removed his shirt and pants before even reaching the door to their room.

"I thought you were going to talk all night." His wife said seductively as she stretched with gentle yawn, arching her back sharply. 

Removing the remainder of his clothing her husband responded with a smile. "I'm not quite as dense as Asuka always said I was." 

Setting his clothes down on a chair in the room he came over to the bed and laid down atop his wife, as she pulled him into her loving, passionate embrace. While neither got much sleep that night, neither complained the next morning.

Four years and nine months after Third Impact

---

"T-minus 60 seconds and counting." The disembodied female voice said.

"Status report." Rei commanded, softly but firmly.

"All engines show green." Kei-ichi answered.

"All fuel systems show green." Yuri replied.

"All monitoring systems show green." Kei-ichi continued.

"Unit-01 active and within all normal system limits." Maya reported. 

"Pilot's pulse and respiration are slightly elevated but within normal limits." Yuri reported.

"All general systems operating normally." Maya completed the status report.

"Good." Rei turned her attention to the monitor that showed Unit-01 strapped to three massive rockets. The middle one contained a payload of several tons of equipment designed for assembly in space. If all went well, this would be the longest space voyage for an Eva to date. 

"Captain Ayanami," Rei loved calling him by that name. "How do you feel?"

"A little anxious to get this beast off the ground already but other than that, fine." Her husband said over the comm system.

"Just 40 seconds to go." His wife assured him.

"Ma'am, liquid fuel pressure is dropping on rocket buster number one. Not significantly, but more than it should at this point." Yuri reported.

Rei walked up to the technician's station and viewed the readings.

"What could it be?" The Commander called down.

"Perhaps an air bubble in the primary tank." Ritsuko speculated.

"Will that be a problem?" The Commander inquired.

"It will cause a momentary flare during launch but should not be a serious problem." She explained.

"Or it could be…" Rei considered.

"T-minus 15 seconds and counting."

"Shinji, extend your AT field around rocket one's primary stage immediately." Rei commanded.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Just do it." Rei said in a low but commanding voice.

A second later…

"AT field extended." The pilot confirmed.

"Maintain field until the primary stage has exhausted all its fuel. Understood?" She softened her tone slightly.

"Yes, understood." The pilot responded.

"Rei, why are you having Shinji extend his AT field?" Ritsuko asked.

"I do not believe it is an air bubble but rather a crack in rocket buster one's primary fuel cell." She explained.

"T-minus 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, launch"

"Camera three, zoom in on the primary fuel cell of rocket buster one." Misato commanded from behind her boss.

Monitor three instantly showed a close-up of rocket one's primary stage. Two-thirds of the way up, a small imperfection in the white metal casing could be seen, as well as Unit-01's AT field preventing any further leakage.

"What is the fuel pressure reading now?" Rei asked.

"Normal reduction as expected with initial launch burn." 

"Eva Unit 01 has just passed seven thousand meters."

"All systems functioning within acceptable parameters."

"How do you feel Captain?" Rei asked.

"Like a squished grape. I'll never get used to this, no matter how many times I go up."

"Eva Unit 01 has passed twenty thousand meters."

Rei's eyebrows shot up when she felt a soft pat on her back between her shoulders. She looked to her right and saw Dr. Akagi standing next to her. "Good catch Rei. You just saved this mission, not to mention your husband's life."

Rei looked back at the monitors for a moment then back at the doctor. "Thank you Doctor."

"We're peers now, call me Ritsuko." With that she took the few steps back to her station.

Five minutes later, Eva Unit 01 was in outer space and making its way to the orbiting space station that would be Shinji's home for the next twenty days. Hardy applause within the command center went up and numerous congratulations went out to the new Director of Operations.

Ten days later, 0100

---

"You should be proud of yourself my love. Not only have you been in space longer then anyone since the late 90's, but in addition, you are more then a half a day ahead of schedule. Everyone is very impressed." Rei whispered softly into the comm. transmitter.

"Everyone is? How about you? Are you impressed?" Shinji asked in a teasing tone.

"Mmm, no not really." She replied.

"No! Why not?" He asked with genuine surprise in his voice.

"Because I already knew you were capable of such feats." She informed him.

Shinji smiled at the camera. "You…" Slowly his smile faded. "I miss you my love."

"I miss you as well." Rei said softly.

A moment of silence passed before Shinji asked, "So how many people are hearing us get all mushy with each other?" He grinned.

"No one. I gave the night crew a ten minute break." She checked her watch. "They should be back within the next three minutes."

"Hmm, three minutes. That's not enough time." Her husband said.

"Enough time for what?" She replied.

"Enough time to tell you just how very much I love you."

"My love…" Rei paused.

"Yes?" Shinji waited.

"You just did." She smiled. "Thank you."

Her husband smiled back. "I'll be dreaming of you tonight my love."

"As will I. As will I." She ran her hand over the monitor as if cursing her lover's cheek.

"This is Space Station Titan, signing off."

"Sweet dreams my love, sweet dreams." Rei stared at the blank monitor for a moment longer until she heard the night crew making there way back into the control room. She quickly wiped away a stray tear and got to her feet. Checking her watch, she noted the time. "You are 20 seconds late. Be sure this does not happen again."

"Sorry Captain but…" One of the senior technician Amano started to say.

"But what?" Rei inquired.

"Well, we knew you weren't finished with your conversation with your husband so…"

"You, you knew?" Rei's cheeks immediately turned red.

"It's pretty obvious ma'am." Suzuka said. "But don't worry, we won't tell anyone."

"To tell you the truth, we were just talking about how difficult it must be for you to have to be the one in command sending your own husband up in space like this, taking on the responsibility of his safety like that. I know if it were me, I couldn't handle the pressure." The Yukari said.

"You've got more courage and strength than any of us could hope to have ma'am." Amano added.

"And the way you handled that fuel leak during the launch ten days ago, was… well I think I speak for everyone on both shifts when I say, we just can't help but admire you ma'am. Not to put down Colonel Katsuragi or Captain Souryu, they were each great in their own way, but we're all glad you're our commanding officer ma'am."

Then in unison all five techs saluted her with absolute formality. 

Struggling to hold back a smile Rei straightened her already perfect posture and saluted back. "Thank you. Thank you all. You have no idea how much your words mean to me. Well, back to your stations. We still have a long night."

Each went to their station the senior technician Suzuka, who approached her superior. "Ma'am, I don't mean to be forward but when was the last time you went home and got more than an hour's sleep?"

Rei just stared at her.

"We know your concerned about your husband and this mission but please, allow us monitor the systems the rest of the night. I know you'll be here all day tomorrow. Get some sleep, please ma'am. If anything happens, anything at all, we'll call you immediately." The tech assured her.

Rei considered her words for a moment then nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, perhaps you are correct. A few hours sleep would help me for the task ahead. Thank you Lieutenant. I appreciate your concern."

She grabbed her jacket and turned. "I will be back at 0650, before the shift change."

"Goodnight ma'am."

"Goodnight Captain."

"Pleasant dreams ma'am."

For the first time in her life Rei Ayanami dreamt, a warm pleasant dream of her and her husband, and … their daughter; first as an infant then later as a small child and finally as a beautiful young woman. The dream warmed her heart and as she showered early in the morning she couldn't wait for the next opportunity she would have to speak with her husband privately and share the dream with him.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Okay, more then half of this chapter did not exist before two days ago but after rereading what I already had it felt short and far to abrupt. It needed more so I added more. I tried to make some references to C&A in here as well as the series itself. Hopefully they fit as well as I felt they did. The last two chapters will both be fairly short especially the last one. Can you tell where this is heading yet? ^_^

Anyway, thank you for all your comments and suggestions. I don't think you'll be disappointed in the outcome. 

A. Amishi


	14. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it (A Sequel to Random1377's, Crimson and Azure)

Chapter 13

Four years and nine months since Third Impact

Eighteenth day of Shinji Ayanami's mission in space

---

Shinji had completed all the mission objects a day and a half ahead of schedule. After a good night's sleep, he simply had some routine diagnostic checks to do in the morning then board Unit 01 and head home. He should have been sound asleep. He should have been dreaming of the woman he loved, the woman that occupied so many of his waking thoughts, the woman who occupied his thoughts now but for a different reason. Though they managed to speak together several other times during the mission it was only this night that they actually had total privacy as they did on the tenth night of the mission. And during this time she shared with him her dream. A dream she had each night for the past week. He had wondered if it was a premonition, telling her she was pregnant but she assured him that was not possible since she started her period for the month just three days after the start of the mission, right on time as always. He questioned her if the dream was her suppressed conscious desire to have a child intruding upon her subconscious. She rejected this idea, stating unequivocally that the thought of having a child had never crossed her mind and even now, though she found the dream intriguing, she still was not entertaining the idea of bearing a child. She plainly stated that with her new responsibilities as Operations Director it would not allow for such diversions. When she asked how he felt about the idea of having a child, he smiled and was very supportive of her opinion that the time was just not right to even consider such a thing. And with that the topic ended and they finished their conversation with numerous declarations of love for each other.

But now, aboard the empty space station, all alone, the young man's thoughts of his lovely wife and an equally lovely baby girl in her arms filled him with … "What? What is it that I'm feeling? Excitement? Anxiety? Joy? Fear? All or none of the above?" He sighed. "What is it that you want in a family?" He thought quietly for some time before responding to himself. "Well I know what I don't want. I don't want to be like my father. But did my father love my mother as much as I love Rei? Probably not. I can't imagine my father loving anyone half as much as I love Rei. So, if something were to happen to Rei, would I become a heartless bastard like he did? What was my father like before the accident that took my mother's life?"

He sighed again. "What kind of father would I be? What kind of mother would Rei be? Are we even ready to have a child? Forget about our jobs, what about the fact that we're both just 18-years old. We're barely old enough to drive and now we're thinking about children." He shook his head. "Stop it Shinji. Don't do this to yourself. You need your rest. I'm not going to be one of those people who die during a routine check because I was too preoccupied to follow proper procedures. Go to sleep. There'll be time to think about this when I'm back on Earth." With that he shut the main lighting off for the night and got in his sleeping bag. Sleeping in the weightlessness of space had taken some getting used to but now he found it rather relaxing. So much so, that even with all that was on his mind, he still managed to fall asleep in just a few seconds.

Both Oklahoma Base and the command center at NERV Headquarters in Tokyo3 were all on pins and needles. Unit 01 was still in its blackout period and would be for at least 30 more seconds. The mission couldn't have gone any better. Not only were all the mission objectives completed ahead of schedule but the final diagnostic tests aboard the space station all met or exceeded necessary parameters. Everything was moving ahead smoothly until Shinji boarded Unit 01 and detached from the space station. All he had to do was a 0.22 percent upward thrust to move clear of the satellite and position the Eva for reentry. A slip of the finger and he used 0.55 percent instead which shot him up and into one of the support beams, which scrapped across the back of the Eva. After careful visual inspection it was determine that the beam would most likely need to be replaced in a future mission but would not require any work at this time. System analysis of Eva Unit 01 revealed nothing out of the ordinary so it was decided that reentry could proceed. 

Despite agreeing with the analysis of the available data, Rei was beside herself with concern. She had no rational reason to be concerned, but when it came to her husband's safety, rational thought was not always possible. Standing at her post at the command center at NERV Headquarters she struggled to control her breathing as well as her nerves. 

"Can you believe how calm the Captain is?" Observed Yuri quietly.

"She has nerves of steel." Amano whispered. "I'd be going nuts right about now if I were her."

"Quiet you two, we may only be analyzing at this point but we still have a job to do." Maya scolded in a hushed voice. 

Just then, over the communications link, they heard, "This is Unit 01 preparing to deploy my chute. Do you concur Oklahoma Base?"

A collective sigh of relief filled the command center.

"Yes Shinji, deploy now." Doctor Akagi concurred.

A moment of silence past, then one of the system operators at Oklahoma announced. "Doctor, the parachute has not deployed."

"Shinji, what's wrong! Why haven't you deployed your chute?" An anxious Ritsuko yelled.

"I'm trying doctor but it's not responding." The pilot replied calmly.

Rei gasped as her eyes went wide. Her reaction may have been noticed if everyone else in the command center hadn't flown to their feet in shock.

"Touchdown in 80 seconds."

"You need to get that chute opened in the next ten seconds or…" The doctor started saying.

"I'm aware of that doctor. The controls are not responding. The chute will not deploy." The pilot's calm reserve quickly evaporating. 

"Touchdown in 60 seconds."

__

'Extend your AT Field, it may cushion the fall.' Rei thought but before she could say anything she heard.

"Shinji, extend your AT Field!" Ritsuko screamed.

"Extending AT Field at 50%." The pilot replied.

"No 100%!" The doctor commanded.

With that all communication links, both audio and video, went dead.

"What just happened?" The commander yelled.

"Apparently, Unit 01's AT Field interfered with our communication link." Reported Maya.

"Attempt to establish an alternate link to Oklahoma Base immediately." Rei commanded.

"Yes ma'am." Maya worked frantically to establish any sort of connection to the American base.

Time passed painfully slow in complete silence. The only sounds were the forced air being blown into the room and the sound of Maya's frantic attempt to establish communications with Oklahoma Base.

Rei stared at the blank monitors as if trying to will them to come back to life. _'Please, please be all right Shinji. I need you. I can't live without you. Don't leave me. Not now. Not like this. Two more missions, that is all you have left as a pilot, just two more missions. This cannot be happening.' _With each passing second, her anxiety level increased exponentially as she slowly began to hyperventilate. _'Come back to me my love. You must come back to me. You swore to love me for all eternity. I will hold you to that promise. Please Shinji, please.'_ First a single tear escaped her watery eyes and rolled down her cheek. A brief moment later, others followed. 

After the longest hour in Rei's life, Maya reported, "Audio communications are reestablished ma'am."

"Tokyo3… Tokyo3… are you there?" Ritsuko's voice came over the comm link. 

"This is Tokyo3, Doctor. What is the status of Unit 01?" Rei struggled to maintain her control. _'Tell me how my Shinji is. Tell me if my Shinji is all right.'_

"I would have thought you would have wanted to know how the pilot was?" A very familiar voice said.

"SHINJI!" The Director screamed. "You are all right!" 

"Safe and sound Captain. Though I'm afraid the same can't be said about Oklahoma Base. Though the AT Field cushioned Unit 01's fall, it left a 120 meter crater at the landing sight."

Silence met him for several seconds. "Rei, can you hear me?" Suddenly a rush of incoherent noises came over the communications link. "Rei! Rei! Tokyo3, can you hear me?" 

Suddenly he heard Misato's voice. "Yes Shinji, we can still hear you." As other noises in the background told him something was very wrong. 

"Misato, what's happening? Where's Rei?" He pleaded giving Ritsuko a worried look. 

Seeing his concern, she immediately picked up the phone and contacted the AFB Offutt Base in Nebraska. "Offutt, this is NERV Oklahoma Base, we need a Harrier 4 here immediately. No, our runway has been destroyed, it won't be able to land. Thank you." She hung up the phone.

As Ritsuko spoke on the phone, Misato responded to Shinji. "It's Rei. She fainted. We're trying to revive her now."

"What's wrong? Why'd she faint? What happened to her?" Shinji struggled desperately to keep from losing total composure.

"I'm not sure. I think … no, I-I don't know. Just get back here as fast as you can Shinji. NERV Headquarters out." 

With that, communications were terminated.

Turning toward the doctor, Shinji implored. "I've got to get to her Ritsuko."

"I've already contacted the Nebraska base, they're sending a Harrier over to get you out of here." She walked up to him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Shinji. I'm sure it's nothing serious. The stress probably just got to be too much for her, especially with your chute not opening and the loss of communications right before you landed. Rei is very strong but she's still only human. It can't be easy for her sending you up into space, knowing any mistake, any failure and the one person she loves more than anyone in the world could be dead. I know I couldn't do what she does."

Shinji looked down at the ground. "I never thought of it that way. She never even hinted at it being a problem for her."

"Of course she didn't. Rei wouldn't, she'd keep it to herself and lets you do what you enjoy doing." She smiled.

He looked up at her abruptly. "Who ever said I enjoyed piloting Eva?" 

Ritsuko tilted her head to the side and gave a knowing smile. "You don't have to be psychic to see how much you love going into space. I've never seen you happier at your work then when we started the space missions."

He bowed his head once again. "Is it that obvious."

"Pretty much." Tapping his shoulder, she continued. "But don't worry, you only have two more missions left. I'm sure Rei will be able to handle it."

"She won't have to." He looked up once again.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I have to change before the Harrier arrives doctor." He turned to leave the control room. At the door he stopped and said. "Thank you Ritsuko." Then he smiled and walked away.

Inhaling deeply, Rei slowly opened her eyes to see her husband sitting next to her, holding her hand.

"Am I dreaming again?" She asked.

"No, this is no dream." He smiled and leaned over to kiss her gently on the lips.

"How long have I been out?" 

He checked his watch. "About six hours."

Looking around slowly she asked. "Am I in the hospital?"

Nodding he replied. "You fainted shortly after you heard my voice. I didn't know I had that effect on you?" He smiled.

Her face turned bright pink as she looked down toward her lap. "How embarrassing, to faint in front of the entire command staff. They must think I am such a…"

"Hey! Enough of that." Her husband insisted as he clasped her hand between his. "The only feeling everyone has expressed is the utmost concern for your well-being. Everyone respects and admires you Rei. And no one thinks any less of you for what happened. Trust me, I know, I've spoken with all of them." He kissed her hand and caressed it against his cheek. 

She nodded slowly then gifted him with a loving smile. "I am sorry for making you worry."

"I'm sorry for making you worry so. I should have seen it. Every time I went up. I should have seen the stress I was putting on you. I'm so sorry I didn't." He continued caressing her hand with his eyes closed as his tears began to fall.

"You need not apologize. I am aware of the joy traveling into space brings to you. Besides, you have but two more missions before your nineteenth birthday. I will be able to function for two more missions." She reassured him.

"No, you won't have to." He looked up at her.

"But why?" She asked as surprise and shock crossed her face.

"Because I've already given the commander and Misato my resignation." He told her.

"What?" 

"I've resigned as a pilot. I'll continue on as an instructor, full-time now but my piloting days are over. This was my last mission." He smiled at her.

"No, Shinji do not do this. You love traveling to space. Don't do this because of me." She tried to sit up straight from the inclined position the bed was already in.

Shinji placed a hand on her shoulder and gently forced her back onto the bed. "I love you, and nothing and no one else in this world comes close to the love I feel for you. And don't worry. I'm not doing just for you, I'm doing it for us."

She gave him a confused look.

"When I was in Unit 01 and the parachute didn't open, for a brief instant before Ritsuko told me to extend my AT Field, do you know what image came to my mind?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"I saw you and our baby, but I wasn't there." He smiled sadly.

"But I told you, I am not pregnant." 

"I know, and I know we need to do a lot more talking about the subject before we decide to start a family, but today I almost ended everything with a slip of the finger. I won't risk our future, our family just so I can joy ride in space two more times. I love you Rei. I want to grow old with you, with our children, and tell you and them how much I love you all when our time here at NERV is nothing but a distant memory."

"But that is irrational. We could die tomorrow in an accident. Why should you stop doing what you love doing out of an irrational fear of death?" She countered.

"I know I may die any time. I know there are no guarantees in life but why tempt fate when all I want, all I need is right here before me." He smiled lovingly at her.

She studied his expression for a time, considering how to respond. _'Your argument is flawed. You should not abandon your dreams of space travel, not even for me. But… you are such a dear man. You really would do anything for me. You are the sweetest man … I am so fortunate to have your love.'_

Worry crossed the young man's face. "Rei, why are you crying?"

She sat up. "Hold me. Hold me forever my love." She said softly as she pressed her cheek against his shoulder and held him tight.

"Always my love, always." Her husband replied as he returned her embrace.

Five years and one month since Third Impact

---

The opponents to Declassification worked feverishly to keep the resolution from coming to a vote before the General Assembly. While the presidents and prime ministers of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Germany and China worked feverishly to have the resolution put to a vote with Asuka as their front man, as it were; behind closed doors people like Congressman Caffy, Senator Pierce, Minister Fushose, Chancellor Vioartii, and Minister Soo Fan Goo worked just as hard to keep it from coming up, and for four months they managed to do just that while also managing to keep Asuka out of the Chambers of the General Assembly and away from the podium. Hailed in the West as The Great Persuader, Asuka had managed to alter public and political opinions on numerous occasions in several countries. Her personable, straightforward, no-nonsense style had won people over everywhere she went. And by keeping Asuka from the podium, the opposition managed to slowly but surely bring the Assembly's opinion around to their way of thinking. Now as the eleventh hour approached, the leaders of those countries most diligently fighting for Declassification pulled their trump card, threatening to pull out of the UN entirely if Asuka was not allowed to speak. 

For her part, Asuka had made herself available by renting a home in the Catskill mountains along with her assistant and the two Secret Service agents whom President Atwater insisted she have with her at all times while waiting for the all important vote. While the quiet, secluded location they were in would have normally driven Asuka crazy having to stay in such a place for two consecutive months now, she managed to remain entertained by going horseback riding on a daily basis. Riding over the majestic hills of the Catskills became a source of endless enjoyment for her, that and her regular calls to her family and friends in Tokyo3. 

This day she managed to easily allude her bodyguards_. 'Those guys must never have ridden a horse a day in their lives.' _She mused as she slowly rode her horse amongst the trees, enjoying the beautiful foliage. "Rei would really love it here." She smiled. Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice the three riders who were waiting for her in the clearing on the other side of the cluster of trees she was riding through.

"Miss Souryu I presume?" A man in a dark suit and sunglasses said, rousing the young woman from her thoughts.

"Who is asking?" She asked, suspiciously cautious. 

"Congressman Caffy would like to speak with you." He gestured to his right.

Slowly the redhead made her way in that direction. Down the hill and next to the nearby river, the congressman was standing alone feeding the birds in the lake.

After a few minutes, she came to a stop just a few meters behind the elderly man. "You wanted to speak with me Congressman."

The senior statesman continued feeding the birds for several minutes before he spoke.

"Did you know that after Second Impact, not a single indigenous animal from New York, and the rest of the Northeast United States for that matter, survived the first year?" He asked.

"No congressman, I didn't know that. Is that what you wanted to ask me?" She asked facetiously.

"Young people today, always in a rush to get right to the point. You've lost the art of casual conversation." He scolded.

This time Asuka remained silent.

"I was just a state senator at the time of Second Impact, still in my first term. I had aspirations of someday running for statewide office, senator maybe even Governor but Second Impact changed all that." 

"Why was that?" She asked out of genuine curiosity.

"Because all of the congressmen from my state were aboard a yacht in Rio on a political junket the day of Second Impact. The tidal wave hit them in a matter of minutes. They never had a chance. So our state was in desperate need of congressional representation. I ran and was easily elected for my district. I assumed I'd serve one or two terms at most then take a stab that the senate but fate had other plans for me. While still a congressman I met a man at a political gathering whose ideas seemed a bit radical to most but they made sense to me. I spoke with him afterward and continued to meet with him on a regular basis. After gaining his trust, he informed me that many of the ideals he spoke of were not just some high, pie in the sky dreams for the future but were the tangible, real objectives of an elite group of men whom shared the same ideals we shared. He told me the name of the organization was Seele and that they would be honored to have a man of my integrity join their ranks. I was hesitant at first but after speaking with a few of their members, I knew joining them was the right thing to do. And look at what we achieved. If not for Seele, NERV would never have existed. The Angels would have destroyed the world. You wouldn't be on that horse enjoying the New York countryside." He finally turned and looked up to face the young woman.

"It is not my intention nor desire to see Seele dragged through the mud congressman. I only want to see the truth revealed. How the people will respond to that truth is entirely up to them." The redhead stated.

"You surprise me Miss Souryu. I hardly expected you to be so naïve. Do you really believe the political leaders whom you've sided with are so benevolent as to simply reveal the truth and say, _"Here people, you decide for yourselves."_ Please, as we speak, their propaganda machines are working to give the very darkest view of those who would be their political enemies." Caffy stated.

"So what would you have me do congressman? Join your faction and fight declassification?" She asked.

"No Miss Souryu, that is not necessary. All I ask is that you head home to Germany and leave the political wrangling to the politicians." He stated with a faint smile.

"I'm sorry congressman, but I can't do that. You may be right, the people who have sought my support may have their own ulterior motives but at least people of intelligence will have the opportunity to actually read the now classified documents and learn the truth for themselves. There may not be that many who do but as long as truth exists in some form it will always serve to keep those who would attempt to repeat the crimes of the past from deceiving the world." She stated firmly.

Dusting his hands off from the feed he had been tossing at the birds the congressman looked up. "I can see there is no dissuading you on your course of action." Slowly he reached inside his jacket pocket. "I'm afraid you leave me no other choice Miss Souryu." He said as he pulled a revolver on her.

Asuka's eyes went wide with shock.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I love a good cliffhanger, don't you? ^____^

Okay, before I start receiving death threats, I'm just joking. The remainder of this chapter follows this brief intermission. So take a minute. Go get something refreshing and health to drink. No, sugar laced, caffeine filled beverages do not count as healthy. L Grab a piece of fruit or other wholesome snack, then come back and continue reading. 

Okay, now that your back, let us continue with our story.

~~~~~~~

Atop the hill where Asuka had first emerged from the forest Special Agents Smith and Johnson came riding out only to come face to face with Congressman Caffy's men. 

"Where is Miss Souryu?" The senior agent demanded.

"Miss Souryu is fine, she is simply having a friendly conversation with the congressman." The center rider replied.

"I asked where is she." He clarified.

In unison, the three riders turned their heads and looked down the hill where Asuka could be seen still on her horse talking with the congressman.

As the two agents turned to head down the hill, the center rider said. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." as the three drew their guns.

Without hesitation, the two agents drew their government issued Sigs.

Smiling at the two agents the center rider said in a smuggle tone. "It appears we are in what was once referred to as a Mexican standoff. While killing government agents is a federal offense and not something we necessarily relish doing. We do have the advantage of numbers and will most likely kill the two of you while only one, perhaps two of us would die." His smile grew. "So what will it be agents. Are you in a hurry to die today?"

The five men held their horses motionless as they pointed their guns at each other. They stayed like this for several minutes, no one willing to make a move of any kind. Suddenly a gunshot rang out and all five jerked nervously as their guns went off as well. All five looked down at themselves and then at the other four. Each was amazed that none of them were hit. Then they turned and looked down the hill. Immediately, the two agents broke into a gallop as they raced down the hill, the congressman's men not far behind.

As the came to a stop next to Asuka's horse, they saw her kneeling over the seemingly motionless body of the congressman who was bleeding profusely from the chest. Asuka was desperately trying to stop the bleeding. 

"Quick, Agent Smith, call for an emergency chopper now! Tell them the congressman's been shot in the chest and is bleeding badly!"

Following her instructions, the agent quickly pulled out his cellphone and called for emergency help.

"Why congressman, why?" She pleaded for understanding.

Smiling up at her with hooded eyes the elderly man replied in a husky whisper. "I suppose I'm just a coward is all. I didn't have the courage to put the gun to my head in the outside hope I may actually be saved. And I couldn't bring myself to shoot a young woman as lovely as you Miss Souryu." He coughed and blood came shooting out of his mouth. "Please forgive a stubborn old man. Perhaps you are right. Perhaps it is best that the truth is finally revealed."

With those words the elderly man exhaled his last breath.

"No! Congressman Caffy! Don't you die on me! Do you hear me!" She screamed then looked up at his man. "What are you just sitting there for? Get down here and help me!"

Instantly two of the men jumped off their horses and began performing CPR on the congressman as Asuka continued to apply pressure over the bullet hole.

Ten minutes later an emergency helicopter arrived and paramedics took over the task of trying to revive the congressman. Another ten minutes passed before they loaded the congressman's body onto the chopper to rush him to the hospital, continuing in the futile effort to revive him.

As Agent Smith was reading the three men their rights; Asuka softly said, "Just let them go," as she stood a short distance away, looking down at the ground where the congressman's blood stained the grass.

"Excuse me ma'am?" The agent asked.

"I said, just let them go." She said a little louder, still looking at the ground.

"But they drew their guns on two federal agents. That is a federal offense." Smith said.

"So I alluded your surveillance, isn't that a crime too." She challenged.

"But Miss Souryu…" He began to protest again.

"Just do it!" She turned and glared at him.

Turning way the agent gestured to the three men. "Go on, get out of here. Just remember, if I ever see any of you again, I will arrest you even if it's just for jaywalking." 

With that the three mounted their horses and rode off.

After watching the three ride off, Agent Smith turned back to the woman he was supposed to be protecting and said. "We should be heading back now Miss Souryu."

But Asuka just ignored him as she turned back to the bloodied ground then she lifted her hands and looked at the blood all over them. "I killed giant monsters in my Eva. I wiped out most of the JSSDF and UN forces at Tokyo3 when they invaded NERV. I ripped limb from limb, the nine Eva production models. And in all of that I never once got blood on my hands." Slowly she began to cry silent tears. 

"Miss Souryu, are you all right?" Agent Johnson asked. 

"I… I need to clean my hands." She whispered as she looked up at the river and started walking toward it.

"Miss Souryu, what are you doing?" Agent Johnson stepped toward her, his concern rising.

"I need to clean my hands." She repeated, then she walked into the river, up to her knees and bent over sticking her hands into the cold water. Some of the blood washed away but much of it stayed on her hands so she began rubbing them together under the water. Removing her hands from the water she checked them for any signs of blood then stuck them back into the water again. She repeated this action several times before removing her hands one last time. Still she reminded standing in the water just looking at her now clean but very cold hands. As the water around her grew still once again she slowly lowered her hands and looked at her reflection in the water. Looking intently she was able to make out dark spots on her face. Her brow furled in confusion for only a moment, then she bent low and began splashing water on her face.

This was more than agent Johnson could stand. He walked out into the river and gently grabbed the young woman by the arm. "Miss Souryu, let's head back home. You can shower there." He said with genuine concern in his eyes.

She looked up at him with profound sadness, and slowly she nodded her head and allowed him to lead her out of the water.

Three days later

---

"Has she eaten anything?" The younger of the two agents asked.

"Barely. She hasn't eaten a full meal since the incident. I don't know what to do." Her aid and assistant, Ursula Clause, replied.

"Have you tried to get her to call her friends in Tokyo3?" The agent asked.

She nodded her head. "Not only that, but they have called for her as well but she refuses to accept their calls. She just sits in her room in her bathrobe all day when she's not taking a shower, which she does 4 to 6 times a day."

Just then the phone rang and Ursula answered it. "Hello."

"Hello Ursula, this is Rei Ayanami. Is Asuka available?" 

"I can see if she will take your call Mrs. Ayanami. Just one moment." She replied but before she could set the phone down agent Johnson took the phone from her and held up his index finger indicating to her to wait.

"Hello Ms. Ayanami, this Special Agent Johnson of the United States Secret Service, assigned to safeguard Ms. Souryu. You are aware of the incident that took place here three days ago correct? Well ma'am, I'm afraid it has affected Ms. Souryu in the worst way. She really could use some support right now from the people she loves. … Yes ma'am. … Thank you ma'am." With that he hung up the phone.

Asuka's aid looked up at the agent with a questioning stare.

"They should be here tomorrow afternoon." He answered the unspoken question.

The middle-aged woman smiled. "Thank you Mr. Johnson."

"Just doing my job, safeguarding Ms. Souryu's safety." He said with a wink and a grin before walking to the kitchen.

The next day

---

Hearing a gently knock at the door caused Asuka to turn her attention from staring out the window from her view on her bed over toward the door. "Yes Ursula, what is it?" She said softly, pulling her white tarry robe around her a little tighter.

Opening the door just a little her aid replied. "You have some visitors that would like to see you Miss."

"Tell them to come back later. I'm … not prepared to take any visitors." She replied turning her attention back out the window.

Suddenly the door swung open and Misato, followed by Rei and Shinji walked in. "What is this non-sense, you're not prepared to take visitors. Not even your own family?" The purple-hair woman said as she marched over to her daughter.

Tears immediately filled the young woman's eyes as she spring out of bed, "Mama!" She buried her face into the older woman's shoulder and wept. Her two surrogate siblings stood a few steps back as Misato embraced her surrogate daughter, whispering words of comfort and support in her ear.

After Asuka settled down, she greeted her siblings with loving embraces and the four of them sat down and talked for hours. Sitting on the edge of the bed with Misato and Rei on either side of her and Shinji in a chair in front of them, she shared with them her experience from a few days earlier. She told them of the conversation she had with the congressman and what happened after he drew his gun. She told them of the feelings she had been going through the past four days and how she continued to relive that moment over and over. In the end, they had no great answers for her, no revelations of how she was going to get over the experience. All they did was listen and provide their support and comfort to her. 

Though she was still in her robe, she had finally left her room. Sitting around the kitchen table, the three of them enjoyed watching Asuka eat. 

"Mmm, I'd forgot how much I missed your cooking Shinji." She slurred with a mouth full of noodles. 

"Tell you the truth, I miss cooking for you. Since Rei eats like a bird, one meal is enough to feed us for two or three days, so I don't cook as often as I used to." He smiled.

"Hmm, you can come and cook for me anytime." Asuka laughed.

"It is good to hear you laugh Asuka." Rei said, concern still written across her face.

Reaching out she took her sister's hand into hers. "Thanks to you, thanks to all of you." She smiled at all of them.

"That's what family is for Asuka." Misato said as she set her cup of coffee down. "I sure hope if ever you need us again, we won't hear it from some stranger." 

Asuka bowed her head. "I-I just didn't want to bother you with my problems."

"We are family. Who else should one be able to turn to if not to those who love you most?" The blue-haired girl said.

"That's right Asuka. You've been there so many times for us. Don't be afraid to let us be there for you." Shinji added.

"I didn't say that to make you feel guilty." Misato gently touched her shoulder. "I said it to reassure you that we're here for you, and we always will be."

The redhead smiled again. "In all my life, I never thought I'd have a family that loved me as much as you guys do."

A comfortable silence filled the room, finally Misato stood up and ran in to the foyer. Coming back a moment later, she opened a fresh deck of card. "Okay, before we turn this into a weeping-fest… again. Let's have some fun." She pulled the cards out and started shuffling the deck. "Five card stud, jokers and deuces are wild, and the minimum bet is… one thousand yen." She grinned wickedly.

"If you're hard up for cash Misato, all you have to do is say so." Asuka said with a smirk. "You know you always beat us at poker."

Grinning from ear to ear, Misato handed the cards to Shinji to cut the deck. "I know but its more fun this way, besides now that you're such a big celebrity, I've been dying to help you part with some of that big-time celebrity money you've been making." She laughed.

The redhead gave her former boss a crooked smirk. "What's the matter mother, jealous?" She teased as she picked up her cards.

"Damn straight, now stop talking and start betting." The older woman said.

"I fold." Rei said after just glancing at her cards.

"Rei, you can't fold yet, we haven't even started." Misato pointed out.

"I prefer to hold onto the money I have earned rather then lose it foolishly." She replied as she got up to get another cup of tea.

"Some people are no fun." The purple-haired woman pouted.

Six days later

---

In a small waiting area that lead to the podium of the UN General Assembly in New York City, Asuka stood with her notes in hand, and Rei and Shinji by her side. Though Misato wanted to stay with her until after her speech, work demanded she return to Tokyo3. 

"You'll do great." Shinji reassured her.

"Of course I will. Who do you think you're talking to?" The redhead teased.

Smiling at each other, after a few moments of silence, the redhead added. "Thanks."

Hearing the President of the Session begin his introduction of her, Asuka took a deep breath and forced it out in an effort to steady her nerves.

"Be true to yourself." Rei whispered.

Turning to her sister, the redhead smiled. "Thank you Rei, I will." And with that she walked out to the podium and a warm reception by the representatives present. Shaking the President of the Session's hand, and thanking him for his introduction, she took the podium, straightened her notes, took a deep breath and began.

"Representatives of the member nations, thank you for allowing me to speak before you today."

She paused and looked down at her notes. After a few minutes had past, a low level murmuring began to build within the Chamber as the representatives wondered what was wrong. Finally, she began to speak again.

"I had a prepared speech I was going to deliver outlining the importance of full declassification and revelation of the truth surrounding Third Impact. But as I am sure most of you already know; I was involved in an incident ten days ago. Ten days ago, US Congressman Dick Caffy met with me up in the Catskill Mountains. His intention was to persuade me to go home and leave the _"political wrangling to the politicians"_ as he put it. Failing to persuade me, and I assume, anticipating the inevitable passage of Motion 35567 or more commonly called Declassification, the congressman … took his own life. I stand here before you not to ask for your support in making Declassification a reality but rather to ask you this question. What is the value of a human life, any human life? Whether it be the lives of those responsible for bringing about Third Impact or the lives of those who suffered and died because of this great catastrophe. Can one life truly be measured against another or are all lives, as I have come to believe, precious? Are the secrets behind NERV and the UN's involvement in it, worth preserving if it will spare the lives of others like Congressman Caffy? Is revelation of these secrets, in hopes that another occurrence of this type may be prevented in the future, thus sparing countless lives, worth it? If you vote for Declassification, lives will be placed in jeopardy. If you vote against Declassification countless lives may be placed in jeopardy. What is the right thing to do? Which decision will best serve mankind? I have no answers for you. These are questions you must consider for yourselves. This is the moral dilemma you now face. The choice is yours, no one else's. As a citizen of this world, I simply pray that you make the prudent choice.

Representatives of the member nations, I thank you." 

And with that Asuka walked off the podium and back out the doorway leading to the waiting area. In the Chamber of the General Assembly, the representatives were in stunned silence. No one knew how to respond to her brief speech. Finally after several minutes of total silence, the German representative stood up and began to applaud. The representatives from China, Britain and the U.S. quickly followed suit. Gradually, all the representatives stood and applauded.

In the back room Asuka walked into Rei's waiting embrace as a few silent tears escaped her eyes. 

Rei held her tight for a few moments then pulled back a bit and wiped her tears way and smiled. "I am very proud of you Asuka."

"Thank you Rei. That means a lot to me." The redhead smiled back.

"I'm proud of you too Asuka." Shinji smiled as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you Shinji." She turned and hugged him warmly. "Thank you."

A UN aid walked in the waiting area and addressed the young redhead. "Miss Souryu, the President of the Session is requesting that you come back out to receive the gracious applause."

Turning toward the man, Asuka replied. "Tell the President, thank you but no thank you. I've done what I came to do. It's time for me to leave."

"Will you be going back to the Catskills ma'am?" He asked.

"No, I'm going back home." She replied.

"Back to Bonn?" Shinji asked.

"No, actually, I still consider Tokyo3, my home. You guys wouldn't mind a house guest for a couple weeks would you?" She asked with a smile.

"We would love one, sister." Rei took her hand. "Let us go."

"Sounds like a plan." Asuka grinned widely as she reached for Shinji's hand, and the three former Eva pilots left the UN building together, heading home for Tokyo3.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry for the long delay in getting this chapter out. Much like the last chapter, I looked at what I had left and realized that it was insufficient, especially after with the open issues I had in the last chapter. So this chapter is entirely new. Now, this doesn't mean I added a chapter to the story. On the contrary, I simply moved what was originally going to be chapter 13 into the beginning of chapter 14. Chapter 14, the next chapter, is the final chapter. I really hope you liked this chapter. Took me awhile to bring all the pieces together but I'm happy with the result. I hope you will be too.

I'd like to acknowledge dngtexn for all his help recently in proofreading this story. This is the first chapter I actually gave him to read for me before posting it. :P Finally got the order right. ^_^ Thanks a ton dngtexn. Check out his website at I'm sure you won't be disappointed. 

I'd like to thank all of you for your comments. It took me awhile but I feel I really got this story on track and I thank you for your suggestions and ideas. They really helped. Please let me know what you think of this chapter.

A. Amishi


	15. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it (A sequel to Random1377's, Crimson and Azure)

Chapter 14

One week later

---

"Attention!" The five ensigns all jumped to their feet and lined up in perfect formation.

"At ease." Misato said as she walked into the recreational room in Central Dogma

The two boys and three girls eased their posture a bit and folded their hands behind their backs.

"Pilots, I have a very special treat for you. I'm sure you've seen her on the news. Now you get to see her in person." The sub-commander gestured toward the door and in walked Asuka followed by Captains Rei and Shinji Ayanami.

Their faces lit up with restrained excitement. 

Taking a position next to her, Misato said, "I'm sure you will all recognize former Operations Director, Miss Asuka Langley Souryu."

"YES MA'AM! WELCOME MA'AM!" They barked in unison.

Asuka was taken aback by their response. "My goodness. Quite the little soldiers, aren't they?" She gave a sideways grin to Misato.

"That is Shinji's doing." She replied with a smile.

"Oh reeeeallyyyy?" She looked over her shoulder at the pilot instructor.

Stepping up next to her, he yelled. "What is the difference between life and death in outer space?"

"DISCIPLINE!" They replied.

"And what does it take to be a great Eva pilot?"

"DISCIPLINE!" 

"And what will you never be accused of?" 

"LACKING DISCIPLINE SIR!" The 14-year olds yelled in unison.

The male captain turned toward the redhead and smiled proudly.

Grinning back at him, Asuka got an evil thought. "Pilots, has your instructor ever told you about the time he threatened to destroy NERV Headquarters while in Unit 01, if his father, then Commander Gendo Ikari, didn't come out to meet him, so he could kill him?"

"What!" Their eyes all grew large and their jaws dropped.

"Disregard that comment Pilots. Miss Souryu is simply teasing." He said as he turned his back to them and stared at Asuka with the look of utter shock.

"What?" She stared back at him innocently then smiled and gave him a wink as she walked past him and over to the young pilots.

Walking up to the blonde female pilot on the end, she asked. "So Ensign, what's your name?"

Snapping to attention, the girl replied. "Eva Pilot Pamela Jackson, Ma'am"

"Eva Pilot?" The redhead wrinkled her brow. "Were your parents fortune tellers that they named you Eva Pilot?"

"Oh, oh… no ma'am. I mean, m-my name is Pamela Jackson… ma'am." The young girl suddenly lost all composure.

Placing a reassuring hand on the young girl's shoulder, she smiled at her and said. "That's alright Pamela. You can relax. You're an American, correct?" 

"Yes Ma'am. From Richmond, Virginia, born and bred." She smiled.

"Beautiful state, Virginia." The redhead replied with a smile.

"You've been there Ma'am?" Pamela's eyes grow large with excitement.

Asuka nodded, "For three days. My only regret was not being able to stay longer."

The blonde beamed with pride in hearing this.

She walked up to each pilot. She asked each their name and where they were from, giving each a reassuring handshake or pat on the shoulder.

Taking a step back, she addressed all the pilots. "If there is but one thing I can impress upon you, is as this. Know who you are outside of Eva. Create your own identity, separate from that of being an Eva pilot. Believe me, I speak from experience. While being an Eva pilot does make you unique and special, know that you are already special and unique, even without Eva. And while you should always take your responsibilities as an Eva Pilot and as a member of NERV very seriously, remember to seek out interests and experiences away from here as well. It will help make your inevitable transition to adult life and possible civilian life, if you choose, much easier."

"THANK YOU MA'AM!" They echoed.

"Thank you." She nodded her head in their direction and turned to head out the door, followed by Misato. Rei and Shinji stayed behind to give the pilots their orders for the day.

Walking down the hall toward the commander's office, Asuka asked. "So when did Shinji get so gung ho?"

"He takes his responsibilities as instructor very seriously. He sees these kids as extensions of himself, a direct reflection of his ability as an instructor." Misato informed her. "He also feels personally responsible for them each time they go up on a mission. He may act tough with them but he cares very deeply for each one of them and they know it. That's why they respond so well to him."

Asuka smiled.

Arriving at the commander's outer office Misato asked his secretary, "Is the Commander available, Minato?"

The incredibly attractive woman with long light-brown hair nodded. "He's expecting you, both of you." She stood up and extended a hand to the redhead. "It is an honor to finally meet you Miss Souryu."

She accepted the secretary's hand with a smile and replied. "Please, just call my Asuka."

"Thank you, Asuka." Minato beamed. "Please, go right in."

As the door closed behind them, Kouzou got up from behind his desk and walked over to greet his former subordinate with open arms. "Asuka, so good to see you." He enveloped the young woman in a warm embrace.

"Good to see you as well Commander." She replied. "It's been too long."

"Nearly two years since you've last been to Japan if memory serves me correctly." He stated, gesturing for the two women to take a seat.

"Almost exactly two years." She acknowledged.

Sitting back down behind his desk, he placed his hands on it and leaned forward. "I saw your speech before the General Assembly. I must say, I was very impressed, especially after what happened just days before. It must have been a horrifying experience." A look of genuine concern etched itself across his face.

"It was quite horrific, but thanks to my family…" The redhead tilted her head toward Misato and took her hand. "I've been able to cope."

"So, my contacts within the GA tell me Motion 35567 should be coming up for a vote as soon as next week. It should pass rather easily." Leaning back in his chair, he continued. "I must say, I have very mixed emotions about full declassification. Revelation of all of NERV's secrets may very well bring an end to all we've worked toward these past five years." 

"That was not my intention in supporting the resolution Commander, I assure you." 

"I know," He smiled. "Part of me wants all to be revealed as well but … well, enough talk of such things. It is now in the hands of the bureaucrats. What will be will be. Who's up for an early lunch?" He stood up.

"I'd love to." Asuka rose.

"I'd like to but we have sync testing at 1." Misato said as she stood as well.

"Oh nonsense. How often does the prodigal daughter return for a visit?" He punched a button on this phone. "Minato."

"Yes Commander?" His secretary's voice came over the speaker.

"Notify the command center that sync testing has been postponed till three today. And have Dr. Akagi and the Ayanamis meet us at car elevator 6."

"Yes sir. Anything else?"

"No Minato, that is all." And the elderly man terminated the call. "Shall we?" He gestured toward the door.

"So Commander, when did Dee leave?" Asuka asked.

"Four months ago, after giving birth to her sixth child." 

"Six? I thought Dee was already in her forties?" 

"Forty-four actually. It was as much a surprise to her as it was to everyone else, but she seems quite happy. Motherhood has always agreed with her." The gray-haired man smiled.

"So, where did you find Minato?" She gave him a leery grin.

"Don't let her amazing physical appearance fool you; Miss Haruka is an exceptionally efficient secretary." He assured her.

"Is that what they call it?" The redhead said.

"Asuka!" Misato shrieked while the commander just laughed.

Five years and two months since Third Impact

---

"Mister Secretary, please read the vote." The President of the Session stated.

"Mister President the vote on Motion 35567 is 141 votes in favor, 36 votes opposed and 8 votes abstained."

Mildly enthusiastic clapping echoed in the family room of the Ayanami household from Kaji, Misato, Touji, Hikari, Shinji, Rei and Asuka. As Kaji opened up bottles of champagne and Shinji and Misato held glasses to be filled and passed them around, Asuka and Rei sat on the sofa, hand in hand. They were still busy watching the live broadcast on JBC. 

After a few minutes, Asuka tilted her head and looked at the worried expression on Rei's face. "Are you going to be okay Rei?" She gave her friend's hand a gentle squeeze.

The blue-haired woman gave a small nod with a forced grin. "I will be. It will just require a period of adjustment. Until know the choice of whether to inform someone of my origin was my decision. Now, it is out of my control."

"I'm…" Asuka tried to find the right words. "I'm … I'm s-"

"Do not apologize Asuka. What you helped do was very important, and needed to be done. If humanity is to move forward, it must first learn to face its past." The blue-haired woman assured her friend.

The redhead smiled at Rei, who returned the smile.

"Ladies." Shinji stood in front of them, holding two glasses of champagne.

They stood up and took the glasses. "So what exactly shall we toast to?" The redhead asked.

"How about to an uncertain future, but one in which we can all have a clear conscience." Misato said as she stepped toward them and handed Shinji one of the two glasses she had in her hands.

"How about to the hope that nothing like the Angel Wars will ever happen again." Hikari said as Touji pulled her close, placing his arm around her shoulders while she wrapped her arm around his waist.

"How about for understanding and compassion. We're going to need it when the world finds out about some of NERV's secrets." Shinji added.

"I think we should toast to us." Asuka said. "To family and friends whose bonds will never be broken no matter what happens."

"I agree." Rei smiled.

"To family and friends." Kaji raised his glass.

"To family and friends." Everyone else did the same then took a drink.

As the evening wore on, Asuka asked Misato while both sat in the living room. "So why didn't Ritsuko and Maya come over?"

"Ritsuko said she wasn't feeling well but I think she's was more worried about the vote then she let on. She was the one who helped develop and maintain the Evas and she worked on the dumpy plugs and cloning system. I think she's worried, there may be too many skeletons in her closet for the world to forgive." Misato answered.

Considering this for a moment, Asuka replied. "I hope she's wrong. For all our sakes."

Across town in a small one-bedroom apartment, the blond-haired doctor sat in the mild of her sofa, her legs tucked under her, her arms wrapped around herself as she watched the live broadcast from New York. The only light in the room was the dim glow from the television. Silent tears slowly made their way down her cheeks. 

"It's all over now. Once the world finds out what I've done. There's nowhere I'll be able to go." She whispered.

"That's not true." The younger woman said from the entryway to the living room. "Commander Fuyutsuki would never turn his back on you." She added as she walked into the room, extending a cup of tea to her. 

Ritsuko glanced up at the younger woman and shook her head then turned her attention back to the TV. Setting the cup on the end table, Maya kneeled on the sofa and wrapped her arms around her boss and mentor as she offered her support and comfort.

Leaning into her embrace, Ritsuko closed her eyes and said. "Thank you Maya."

The dark-haired woman kissed her on the forehead and gently stroked her hair. "It's late. We should get to bed."

Nodding in agreement the older woman allowed herself to be helped off the sofa then they walked hand in hand to their bedroom and closed the door behind them.

Later that night in the bedroom of Shinji and Rei Ayanami, Shinji was roused from his slumber by the feeling of a warm liquid that started on his chest and rolled down to his neck. Feeling the light weight of his wife upon his chest, he allowed his senses to evaluate the moment. Rei's gentle, almost inaudible sobs caused Shinji's heart to tighten in concern.

"Rei, what's wrong?" He asked as he brought his hands up and stroked her hair with one while softly caressing her bare shoulder with the other.

"I am sorry Shinji. I did not mean to wake you." She lightly ran her hand over his bare chest.

"Why are you crying Rei?" He continued. "Is it because of the vote? Is it because of the way people might treat you after knowing who you are?"

She shook her head.

"Then what? Please tell me." He whispered.

Lifting herself up off his chest she looked down at her husband. "I am concerned that after today, you will be reminded each and every day of who, or rather what I am. I know you have told me on numerous occasions that it does not matter to you, but I fear that this constant reminder may prove to be too much, even for you my love."

Shinji reached over his head and turned on the small lamp on the table. Then he turned his attention back to his wife. Caressing her cheek with the back of his hand, he smiled up at her and said. "Rei, don't you know, I'm reminded every day of your origins. Every time I touch your Azure-colored hair or look into your Crimson eyes. I know who you are and how you came to be. But as I've told you since the day you came back to me, I don't care. I love you and I will always love you. You must believe me."

She closed her eyes and wept silent tears. "I wish to believe you Shinji, truly I do. But having never known love before you, I have no point of reference. Can love truly endure such trials? I do not know. How can I believe in that which I have no experience in?"

Pulling her back down onto him, he held her tight and said softly, "But you do have experience in love. Not just the love we share but the love you share with Misato and Asuka, and even Hikari and Touji. They all love you and you love them. They all know who you are but that hasn't stopped any of them from loving you. And I'll never stop loving you."

Rei wrapped her arms around her husband and held him tightly. "I am so sorry, Shinji my love. You must grow weary of my doubts and insecurities."

"I'd rather you share them with me than have you keep them to yourself and allow them to grow." He rubbed his cheek softly over the top of her head. "I'm sorry that I've failed to tell you and show you often enough that I love you to put such fears to rest. I'll make an effort to show you and tell you more often."

They held each other in silence for several minutes. Shinji wasn't sure if Rei had fallen asleep or not, but he didn't want to speak and disturb her if she was. So he just continued to hold her close. Finally, the blue-haired girl whispered, "Show me now." She slowly rolled off his chest and onto her back. "Make love to me now." She looked longingly into his eyes.

Shinji gave her a loving smile as rolled toward her and gently pressed his lips onto hers. In that night, Shinji expressed all his love for his wife with every ounce of passion and tenderness within him. Afterward, Rei laid in her husband's arms and sleep more peacefully then she had in months.

Five years and three months since Third Impact

---

Three days after Motion 35567 passed, all three branches of NERV held a news conference where copies of all documentation were made available to the media. News reports revealing the origins of the Evas, what made them work and the backgrounds of all NERV personnel. Information about Gendo Ikari and Seele filled the airwaves for weeks. The fallout from these reports was immediate. Rei found herself stared at almost everywhere she went. Several stores she once frequented, now refused to serve her. She took such things in stride, while Hikari, who often accompanied her when she went shopping, was livid. 

"What do you mean you won't serve her kind here?" Hikari yelled. "If it weren't for her, you'd be dead! We'd all be dead!"

"I lost my father and brothers in Second Impact. I lost my daughter and her family in Third Impact. It was the Angels that caused both." The store manager snapped back.

Gesturing toward the door where Rei impatiently waited for her friend, the enraged brunette continued. "Look at her. Does she look like a danger to anyone? She is the most passive, gentlest person I've ever known. You've done business with her in the past. For five years, she's shopped here. You know what she's like. Why does who she is matter now when it didn't just a month ago?"

"Because a month ago I thought she was human, not an Angel." He answered.

"But if you took the time to actually read the reports, you'd know that we are Angels too, just a different form of Angel. So in reality, we're all the same anyway." Hikari reasoned.

"Not in my book we're not." The manager said with a stony expression on his face.

Seething in anger, the brunette narrowed her eyes at the middle-aged man. "Fine, you can expect to be hearing from my lawyer you ignorant ass you!" Then she pivoted on the balls of her right foot and marched out of the store.

Breezing past her, Rei ran to catch up with her friend. Marching in step with her, she asked. "Do you really have a lawyer?"

"No, of course not. I'm only 19. Why would I have a lawyer?" She answered, her anger still evident in her tone.

"Hikari, slow down. We are not in a rush to be anywhere." Rei stated.

Hearing these words, the freckle faced young woman quickly slowed her pace till she was just standing still, her shoulders drooped and a look of intense sadness worked its way across her face. "It's not right. It's not fair. These people would all be dead; we'd all be dead if it weren't for you, for all of you. Why cant people see that?" She turned to face her friend who was standing next to her. "Why must their hearts be filled with hate?" Tears began to roll down her cheeks. "You're the gentlest, most decent person I've ever known. You never say a hurtful word to anyone. You're always constructive and logical in your comments. If people just took the time to get to know you, they'd see how warm and caring you really are. Why can't they see that? Why?" She began to sob.

Hesitating only a second, Rei stepped closer to her friend and pulled her into a gentle embrace. "People will see what they want to see. For many of them now, I am the embodiment of all they have learned to hate. And nothing will ever change that."

Resting her cheek on the blue-haired woman's shoulder, Hikari asked. "How do you put up with it all: the glares, the comments, the insults?"

"It is because of friends like you and Touji, and the love I receive from my family, that enables me to endure such treatment. For I know, that the people I truly care about and love, still love me."

Straightening up the brunette tried to mirror the crimson-eyed woman's smile. 

Gently wiping her friend's tears way, Rei said. "Come, let us has some tea. It will improve your spirits."

"Okay." Hikari nodded and followed her friend to down the street.

In a small café, the two young women looked over the small menu where the wide assortment of teas was listed. A young fair-haired girl in her mid-teens came to their table. Looking up from her notepad she asked. "May I take your order?"

"Yes, I would like your…" Was all Rei got to say when an ear-piercing scream made everyone in the small café turn in their direction. 

"You're Captain Rei Ayanami! Aren't you?" The girl screamed.

Sighing in exasperation, the blue-haired woman nodded. "Yes I am."

"Oh, please just wait one moment." And the girl dashed off into the back room.

"See, even in a place as small as this." Hikari sighed.

"Perhaps we should leave." Rei suggested.

Her friend nodded and the two women started to get up from the table for two when a very round man, no taller then Rei rushed out from the back room and ran over to their table. 

"Ah, Misses Ayanami." He said in a deep voice, bowing very low. "It is an honor to have you in my establishment." He bowed again.

Taken aback by the short, round man in his mid-50's, Rei just stared wide-eyed at him for several moments. 

"I have followed every moment of the Revelation of the Eva Wars, on JBC. I have even purchased my own copy of the NERV manuscripts." He turned to his young niece who was now standing next to him. "Hurry, run upstairs and got the manuscript." He said to her. Turning back to Rei he continued. "I was living in Osaka at the time of the Angel Wars and did not realize the measure of danger the world was in during that time. The world owes you and everyone at NERV a debt of gratitude for all you did to save all our lives." He bowed again.

"Ah… you're welcome?" Finally came out of the Operation Director's mouth as her cheeks turned bright red.

"Oh, please, please sit. I will get you our very best tea and some wonderful fresh anman. My wife just made them, very delicious." How bowed again and left rushed to the back.

The two women started after the retreating man and as he went out of sight, they turned and stared at each other. Both were at a total loss for words.

Finally, Hikari said, "Well, that was different."

"Indeed." Rei replied.

After enjoying several cups of green tea and more than a few anmans, Rei was introduced to every member of the middle-aged man's family. The round man, Ryo Saitso, was a most demanding host, insisting that everyone that came in and out of his establishment offer their humblest respects to Misses Ayanami. And when two people refused, he quickly escorted them out of his café. 

"Thank you Misses Ayanami, Miss Horaki. Please come any time. A table will always be ready for you. The same is true for anyone from NERV." He bowed deeply once again, clutching the signed manuscript closely to his chest. "Thank you so very much." 

"It was our pleasure." Rei replied. "I only wish you would allow me to pay for our tea and desserts."

"I am sorry but I cannot do that. Consider yourself a guest in my establishment. How can I allow a guest pay?" He smiled.

"Thank you again for your wonderful hospitality Mrs. Saitso." Rei bowed politely.

"Thank you Misses Ayanami for everything." He bowed deeply again.

"Sir Thank you." Hikari bowed as well, then she and Rei left the café.

After a few moments of silence as they walked down the street, Hikari finally sighed, "Whew! That was unexpected, but fun." She grinned.

After a few moments, Rei replied, "Yes. It was," as a faint smile crossed her face.

Both Commander Fuyutsuki and Doctor Akagi were mildly relieved that the fallout toward them was not nearly as bad as they both anticipated. Both had fully expected to be asked to resign by the UN. Instead, they found themselves attending an endless stream of press conferences explaining the motivations behind many of NERV's actions back during the Angel Wars. 

At Tokyo2 University's main lecture hall, Doctor Akagi addressed a large contingent from the media and scientific community. Journalists from every major scientific journal and news agency were present. 

"As you can see in this slide, the genus is nearly identical to that of humans." She pressed the button on the control she had in her hand advancing to the next slide. "As you can see from the DNA strands taken from the fourth Angel, the primary differences between the Angels and humans can be found in the 17th, 26th and 31st combination. Other than these three combinations, our DNA is for all intensive purposes, identical." Turning off the projection device, she set the remote down and placed her hands in her lab coat pockets. "Lights please." 

The lights in the lecture hall came back on.

"We will now open the session to any questions you may have."

Immediately over two-dozen hands went up.

Pointing to one man near the front center, he stood and identified himself. "Phillip Strong, Modern Biology. Dr. Akagi, from what you've shown us it appears that the Angels share a frightening similarity to man, and the Evas were a hybrid, created from both Angel and human DNA."

"That is correct." The doctor acknowledged. 

"But the Evas are surrounded by metal plating. Are you telling us that, that plating was nothing more then battle armor?" The journalist sat back down after he posed his question.

"The metal plating served two purposes; one, to serve as a form of armor in battles against the Angels and two, to serve as restraints to allow us to control the Evas. Next?" She pointed at a woman to the left.

"Kisumi Tatsuko, Science Today Magazine. So what you're saying is that the Evas have a will of their own and only by restraining them are we able to force them to do what we will them to do?"

"No, that is not entirely true. The Evas as they existed before Third Impact required two additional catalysts to make them work; a human soul to give them life and a pilot to enable it to function. Without both of these, the Eva is simply an oversized boi-mechanical statue. Since Third Impact, when we were in the process of rebuilding Unit 00, we discovered a way to allow the pilot to directly tap into the life source of the Eva. This was only made possible by the introduction of the S2 engine incorporated in the newly redesigned Unit 00. This essentially eliminated the possibility of any rejection occurring between the Eva and the pilot. It also resulted in a higher sync ratio between the Eva and its pilot."

"But Unit 01 still has a soul in it, does it not?" The journalist followed up.

"Yes, while the soul of Yui Ikari still resides inside Unit 01, due to the modification we made to it, Unit 01 now functions in the same manner as Unit 00. The pilot syncs directly with the Eva, the soul interface is no longer a factor. Next." She pointing to a gentleman near the back.

"Stephen Gruber, New Word Technologies. Are you saying that that the human soul is a tangible element? Something that can be touched and seen?"

"The process by which the human soul was introduced into the Eva was something that was done before I ever joined NERV. No clear documentation was ever written on the subject and only the fact that it was done has ever been recorded. The only person who is still available who was working for NERV at the time is Commander Kouzou Fuyutsuki but according to documented accounts, he was not present during the initial activations of any of the Evas and he has stated publicly several times that he does not know how the migration of a soul into an Eva was accomplished. Next."

"Akito Tenkawa, Japanese Broadcasting Company. Doctor, how do you justify using biological machines with a human soul imprisoned in it, and 14-year old children to pilot them? Surely, another alternative could have been found?"

Picking up a glass of water that was on the table in front of her, Ritsuko took a drink then set the glass down and proceeded to answer the question. "Yes, you are right. If given enough time, we could have come up with an alternative. I am sure of this. But it has been over 19 years since Second Impact and we still haven't found a way for anyone over the age of 19 to pilot the Evas. Not only does the pilot's sync ratio begin to drop at 17, but internal instability within the Eva begins to increase after age 18, making the Eva harder for the pilot to control. We continue to research this phenomenon but have not come up with any resolutions as of yet. As for forcing 14 year old children to do battle against the monsters we called Angels. If I could have piloted the Eva myself, I would have in order to spare those children the pain and suffering they were forced to endure. And I'm sure there are many other NERV personnel that feel the same way. But we could not control when the Angels would come and as much as people in the general media, Mr. Tenkawa, wish to make the Angel Wars appear as if it were a personal battle between Gendo Ikari and God; the fact of the matter is that the Angel Wars were a battle for the survival of the human race. I for one refuse to apologize for doing what I could do to preserve my species."

The hall went silent for a minute then several journalists from various scientific journals began to applaud.

Doing her very best to high her smile, Ritsuko continued. "Next."

The one thing that did anger the commander was the sudden budget cutbacks that were levied against the Asian branch. While the Finance Board claimed it was due to the current economic slowdown, the commander knew better. 

"We have a schedule to maintain. The space station is supposed to be fully operational in 18 months. These cuts will force us to eliminate at least 4 launches. How are we supposed to stay on schedule?" The commander stated angrily to the finance chairman, Carlos Perez. 

"I'm sorry Commander, but it is out of my hands. The General Assembly is pressing for cost reductions everywhere. It was only a matter of time before NERV was hit as well." The chairman explained.

"So tell me why the budget for the Atlantic fleet has almost doubled?" The commander countered.

"The state of the Atlantic fleet is horrific. Ships that should have been retired years ago are still being used today."

"Then retire those ships and move part of the Pacific fleet to the Atlantic. What has either fleet done since Third Impact anyway?"

"They've served as peace keepers on more then one occasion." 

"One Eva, flown in, could have done the same job at far less expense. The fleet is a relic from a bygone era. It only exists for prestige purposes. A luxury the UN can't afford."

"You should be careful what you say Commander. You don't want to get the wrong people angry. Remember, the UN still hasn't finalized its budget for the year." The chairman warned.

"Mr. Chairman, if I lived in fear of pissing people off, I could never have taken this position. Excuse me." Fuyutsuki turned and left the chairman's office.

Perhaps the most unexpected fallout occurred to Asuka, who saw many of her speaking engagements canceled. While she never kept the fact that she suffered a mental breakdown during the Angel Wars a secret, the published facts surrounding her breakdown had an immediate impact on her popularity. But where she was still welcomed to speak, she managed to deal with the news with sense of humor and light-hearted self-deprecation.

In the assembly hall of the University of Barcelona, before a capacity crowd, Asuka walked up to the podium followed by an older woman with glasses and a lab coat. She had a note pad in her hand and appeared to be taking notes.

After the enthusiastic applause slowly died down, Asuka spoke in perfect Spanish. "Thank you for welcoming me here today. It is a great honor and privilege to address you here today at such a prestigious institution." Again the audience applauded. "And don't mind the woman here." She gestured to her left at the woman in the lab coat. "This is just my psychiatrist. She's here just in case I decide to go nuts on you today." She smiled.

Everyone in the auditorium burst into laughter, which lasted well over a minute. Even Asuka and her companion had a hard time keeping a straight face.

During her lecture she covered the pilot selection process as it was explained to her when she was selected, followed by the true method used to determine the pilots for the Evas. She discussed the nature of the AT Field and how everyone has one. She covered the seventh, eighth and ninth battles in detail and as her lecture drew to a close the discussed a subject very personal to her.

"As you are all aware, I suffered a mental break down during the Angel Wars." Her tone grew painfully serious. "During the battle against the Fourteenth Angel, I was mentally attacked and raped by the Angel. It dug into the recesses of my mind and forced me to relive events from my past. Events I had long since buried away, events concerning my mother's mental breakdown and subsequent suicide. Seeing my mother, the woman I most loved and admired in all the world, no longer recognize me as her daughter but rather treat a simple rag doll as her child was almost unbearable. Coming home after I had been chosen to be the second Eva pilot only to find my mother hanging from the ceiling of her bedroom, nearly killed me. Having to relive the events as well as the thoughts and emotions I endured during that time proved more than I could bear. Though the total affects of that attack were not made evident immediately. The result was unquestionable." 

She paused for a moment to collect her emotions and strengthen her resolve before continuing. "Suffering from severe depression and mass delusion, I had become so unstable that I attempted to sexually seduce my fellow pilot, Shinji Ikari, as well as attempted to kill my fellow pilot, Rei Ayanami. I had to be institutionalized and medicated to keep me under control. I came to the point where I wanted to take my own life and ended up catatonic. It was only through the compassion and caring of Shinji Ikari, that I was able to free myself from my catatonic state." 

She paused again, trying to keep her voice from wavering. "Just a few months ago, I witnessed a man take his own life. In my futile attempts to resuscitate US Congressman Caffy, I ended up getting blood all over my hands and arms. That was the first time, even in all my battles that I actually had blood on my hands. Seeing the blood, forced me to face all the lives that had been affected by my actions, both directly and indirectly. All the lives lost, all the people injured who would never fully recover. I had never given it a second thought before. But at that moment and for days, even weeks afterward, I was unable to get it out of my mind. I began to slip into depression once again as well as exhibiting chronic-compulsive behavior. And like the time before, I did not seek any help, I did not think I had anyone I could turn to. Fortunately, I was very wrong. Now would I have attempted to take my own life again? I don't know. I'm glad I didn't have to find out. Because I know where my strength lies now. It is with my family, with my surrogate mother, Misato Katsuragi and my surrogate brother and sister, Shinji and Rei Ayanami. They are my family, they are my strength and I am theirs as well. If I may be allowed to preach for just a moment? Nurture the bonds you have, with you mother, with your father, with your brothers and sisters, with your friends. No one person is an island. As much as we may try, we can't do everything; we can't face all of life's challenges alone. And when it is necessary, seek professional help as well. There is no shame in seeking help from a trained professional." Gesturing to the woman on stage with her she said, "This is actually my personal assistant Ursula. Ursula, take a bow please." She smiled. 

The older woman but her notepad and pen in her lab coat pocket and bowed toward the audience who gave her a friendly applause in response. Then she turned and bowed toward Asuka and walked off the stage. 

"I do have a psychiatrist I see once every other week now. And to be honest, I wish I had done this much sooner. I am able speak to her about issues that I haven't even been able to talk to my family about. Issues from my past, which continue to haunt me to this day. I know I haven't answered all of your questions. I hope I've answered some of them at least. Again, I thank you for having me here. It has been a great honor and privilege. Thank you."

And with that, Asuka stepped to the side of the podium and bowed to the audience, which rose to their feet and applauded enthusiastically. 

Later on that evening, during the reception held in her honor in the Barcelona Art Museum, Asuka's assistant approached her, while she was talking with several of the Deans of the University as well as several prominent politicians. 

"Excuse me Miss Souryu, but you have an urgent call." She whispered to her boss.

"From who?" The redhead replied, without missing a beat as she continued with an story she was amusing the others around her with.

"Commander Fuyutsuki." The older woman replied.

Smiling broadly, she stated. "Gentleman, ladies, would you please excuse me. It appears an urgent matter has come up. But please, do remind me where I left off." She laughed.

The others laughed as well and bowed politely.

Following her aid, she walked from the main gallery to a private office down one of the administrative halls.

There, she picked up the phone. "Hello Commander is that you?"

"Hello Asuka, I'm sorry to disturb you. I wouldn't be calling if it weren't a matter of utmost importance." He replied.

"I understand Commander, what can I do for you?" She replied.

"I don't know if you've heard but our budget is about to be severely cut. It appears, this is the U.N.'s way of slapping our hands for having been bad little boys."

"That's crazy. The actions of NERV before Third Impact have no bearing on what NERV is doing now. How do they expect you to meet the date for activation of the space station? I can't believe they are willing to risk all the contracts, all the jobs that will be impacted by this action." She retorted.

"Believe it or not, it will happen, unless they can be convinced that such cuts will cost more in the long run than they well save in the short run. And they need to be convinced before they finalize the budget next week." The elderly man explained.

"And you want me to be the one to convince them." She stated plainly.

"There is no one better." He paused. "Will you do this for me Asuka?"

Without hesitation she answered. "Of course Commander. It will be my pleasure. I'll arrange to fly out to New York tomorrow."

"Thank you Asuka. You don't know how much this means to me." She could hear the man's voice waver of the phone.

"You've done so much for me Commander. This is the least I could do in return." She smiled.

"I'll work my connections within the General Assembly to get you on podium before the end of the week. And Asuka, thank you." 

"It's my pleasure Commander." She wiped way a stray tear.

"I'll meet you at the airport tomorrow." The commander said.

"I look forward to seeing you again Commander." Asuka smiled and with that they each hung up. Turning to her assistant who was standing a short distance away, the redhead instructed. "Cancel all my appointments for the next week and a half, and get us on a flight for New York sometime early tomorrow." Then she walked out of the office and returned to the reception.

Five years and four months since Third Impact

---

Misato Katsuragi and Rei Ayanami walked into the commander's office as ordered. 

"You wanted to speak with us Sir?" Misato asked as the two women approached his desk.

The commander, who was talking on the phone, gestured for the two women to take a seat, which they did.

"So that is effective immediately? Good… good. Thank you Carlos. Well, thank you anyway… Yes… yes. Goodbye." And the commander hung up the phone and turned to his subordinates. "That was the Finance Secretary of the United Nations, calling to inform me that our budge has been increased to 140% over last years budget." He smiled.

"That's incredible Commander. I thought they were going to cut our budget. How did you do it?" Misato asked.

Speaking out loud before she even realized she had, Rei responded. "You asked Asuka to address the General Assembly." She turned a pale shade of pink when she realized what she had said.

The commander only smiled. "You are entirely correct Rei. They were going to cut our budget. I couldn't let that happen, so I turned to the one person I knew who could sway those bureaucrats. I'd like to arrange for something very special to be sent to her as a way of saying thank you. I know you two are closest to her and I'd like it to have a woman's touch." 

Misato smiled. "Leave it to us Commander. We'll find the perfect gift for Asuka. Won't we Rei?" She winked at her former ward. 

"Most definitely." Rei smiled softly. 

"Excellent!" The commander smiled. "Now, Rei if you would excuse us for a moment. I have something I must speak with Misato about." 

"Of course Commander." She rose and headed for the door. Once outside the office she whispered to herself. "The perfect gift for Asuka." 

"Did you say something Captain Ayanami?" Minato asked, ready to provide whatever assistance the OD may need.

Turning toward the secretary, the crimson-eyed woman smiled. "No Minato, I'm fine. Everything is fine." Then she turned and left in search of her husband.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I'd really like to thank Datexan for providing me with the inspiration for Asuka's speech. If it sounds preachy, that's because it is. But it's not me preaching. I've never suffered from depression and I would not pretend to. But rather I tried to take Asuka's viewpoint and how she would handle the situation she finds herself in. I'm not trying to trivialize the seriousness of mental illness or the affects it has on the lives of those who suffer from it as well as those close to its victims. I tried to address it properly. I hope I did. 

Okay, I really did intend for this to be the last chapter but after the way I ended chapter 13, I felt that leaping to the end at that point would leave too many things still unsettled. So I've decided to add at least 2 more chapters to this story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I wanted to show some of the darker side of life for the members of NERV without turning the chapter into a downer. I hope the Ritsuko/Maya relationship doesn't come as a surprise in this story. I thought I left enough hints along the way in this story to indicate that there was something going on between the two women. I've intentionally avoided using words like lover or passion when describing these two when they are together because I wanted their actions to speak for themselves. And I didn't want to present either a positive or negative view of their relationship. It is what is it. Two people in love. You can make your own decision about their relationship.

I'd also like to apologize for taking so long to update. Chapter 13 was very special to me. There was a lot in it that spoke volume to me. I hope this chapter doesn't prove to be too much of a let down. I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think of it. I'd really like to know.

A. Amishi


	16. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it (A sequel to Random1377's Crimson and Azure)

Chapter 15

AN: I apologize in advance to any grammar or spelling errors you may encounter. Though I've edited this story myself already, I was unable to contact my beta-reader this weekend so he could proofread it for me. But since I promised to post this by this weekend I've decided to go ahead and post it and I'll update it later after my beta-reader has a chance to go over it. Again, I apologize. 

Five years and five months since Third Impact

---

Wearing a red, silk dress by famed Japanese designer Ruri with matching shoes and makeup purse, and a ruby necklace and earrings, Asuka mingled amongst the dignitaries, heads of state, and corporate executives present at Buckingham Palace. 

"With their budget restored, our stock nearly doubled from one day to the next. I may just go out and purchase that 100-meter yacht I've been eyeing." Satamoto Nagare, the CEO of Nergal Heavy Industries laughed. 

"I hope you'll be spreading your companies good fortune around to the rest of your employees." Spencer Washington, leader of the Worker's Party and member of the House of Commons, said soberly. 

"Oh, come on Spencer, you know I was just joking. Of course we will be sharing our good fortune with our workers but we still have some very aggressive deadlines to meet before we make a yen." The chairman replied.

"Though I believe we all have you to thank Miss Souryu." Toshiro Mifune, the Japanese Ambassador to England, replied. "If it were not for your intervention, employment in over two dozen countries would be it a record low." 

"Yes, Miss Souryu, I believe I am correct when I say that without a fully functioning NERV, my company would be in dire straits." The chairman said. "Thank you Miss Souryu."

"To Miss Souryu." Spencer raised his glass amongst the small group of people. 

"To Miss Souryu." Everyone present raised their glass as well.

"Thank you. Thank you all." Asuka gave a small smile. "I must say, while saving the world economy was not necessarily my intention, it is a wonderful side benefit." She joked.

Everyone laughed with her as they drank their Champaign. 

"So Miss Souryu, I'm curious. What sort of payment did you receive from Commander Fuyutsuki in order to save NERV?" The Party leader asked.

Everyone else in the small group went silent. Several of them looked over at Asuka to see what her reaction would be. She just calmly sipped her Champaign for a moment before responding.

"I received no payment. I did it as a favor to the commander." She replied with only a hint of smugness in her voice.

"Really?" The politician responded suspiciously.

"Though I did receive this outfit as a gift afterwards." She smiled and turned all the way around, showing everyone the dress and accessories. "So I think I made out in the end." She smiled

Again the group around her laughed, thus breaking the tension of the moment.

Five years and six months since Third Impact

---

"Lieutenant Matsumura, calm down." The Operations Director commanded.

"But I'm running out of air. I'm going to die, I'm going to die." The young pilot began to hyperventilate.

"Lieutenant, listen to me." The azure-haired woman spoke forcefully. "Go to the control panel to your right, the one just above the resource panel. Do it now."

Though panic-stricken and hyperventilating, the pilot's training kicked in and she followed her superior's instructions. 

"Now in the command console panel, enter the command sequence, D400G714-209O." She said slowly and clearly.

With a trembling hand, the pilot did as she was instructed.

"Air Control Override Command instructions entered. Percentage of oxygen in air mixture reduced to twenty-two point nine percent." A disembodied voice announced.

All eyes in the command center immediately shot to Rei but no one said a word. As for the Operations Director, she ignored the shocked stares, seeing the desired result almost instantly. The young pilot had ceased hyperventilating and seemed much calmer already.

"Now Lieutenant, proceed to the systems control console and ascertain the extent of the damage."

"Yes Captain." Lieutenant Nabiki Matsumura replied.

"You can't leave her without oxygen that long! She'll die!" Lieutenant Pamela Jackson yelled.

"Pam!" Shinji yelled.

Instantly Rei snapped her fingers and pointing at the communications operator. The operator needed no further instructions; she immediately interrupted transmission to the space station. Once she nodded to her commanding officer that the task was complete, Rei turned to face her unruly subordinate.

"If any of the oxygen cells have been pierced as Lieutenant Matsumura suspects then it will be a mute point anyway. The space station will be void of all oxygen in a matter of minutes. The extent of the damage must be ascertained first." She explained.

"But you reduced her oxygen supply! She can't last long with so little oxygen in the air!" The pilot screamed.

"Tokyo3, I have accessed the sensor grid and am looking at the analysis of the outer hull." Matsumura informed them.

"I do not have time for this." Rei turned back toward the command console.

"You've got to resort her oxygen now!" The blond-haired pilot continued to rant.

"Lieutenant, you are dismissed. Leave the command center immediately." The OD commanded.

"NO! You've got to listen to me!" She took a step toward her superior officer.

Shinji stepped between the two of them. "Pamela! That's enough. Leave now."

"You know I'm right sir! Tell her! Tell her!" She looked into her instructor's eyes, pleading for understanding.

Shinji didn't have time to respond. 

"There is no time for this nonsense. SECURITY! Escort Lieutenant Jackson out of the command center." Rei ordered.

Instantly, two large men in dark green uniforms approached the young pilot, each placing a hand on her shoulders and quickly directed her out of the room.

"You know I'm right!" She continued to yell. "You're going to kill her you heartless bitch! You're going to kill her!"

"Tokyo3, I await your instructions." Matsumura repeated.

A moment later after the screams from the other female pilot fell silent, Rei said. "Re-establish communications."

"Done Ma'am." The comms officer replied.

"Lieutenant, have you identified the point of impact?" The OD asked.

"Yes sir. The object struck the space station at vector 332-341 section 6."

"Enable sensors to scan for damage in that section." 

"Yes sir." A moment later the Lieutenant continued. "Sensors indicate that tanks B3 and C3 have been… have been ruptured. Oxygen is leaking freely from both tanks." The young pilot struggled to maintain her composure.

"Pilot's heart rate has just jumped to 92 beats per minute." The controls operator reported quietly.

"How much oxygen is in each tank Lieutenant?" The OD asked.

After a moment the pilot responded. "Tank B3 is 22% full and dropping, tank C3 is 16% full and dropping, Tank A3 is 36% full and holding." Her voice cracked slightly while speaking.

Again, Rei signaled to stop transmission temporarily.

Turning toward the commander she said. "Your instructions Commander."

"Recommendations." He replied.

Misato answered first. "We can blow the panel and jettison the two tanks, use the remaining tank to recharge the Eva's oxygen supply and get the pilot back home."

Turning to his Operations Director, the commander asked. "Do you concur Captain?"

"With recharging the Eva's oxygen supply and getting the pilot home, yes Commander but I feel that blowing the panel with as much oxygen that has already leaked out of the two tanks could prove dangerous. It could ignite the oxygen in the surrounding air and cause further damage." Rei replied.

"Your recommendation then?" He asked.

"Allow the tanks to finish leaking out and leave them to be recovered on the next mission along with the damaged panel. This will allow us to determine why the meteor was able to penetrate the casing. Meanwhile, recharge the Eva's oxygen supply with tank A3." She answered.

"Do you concur Colonel?" He asked his second in command.

"Yes Commander, I do concur." She responded in all seriousness.

"Very well Captain, proceed." Fuyutsuki commanded.

Rei turned her attention back to the pilot in distress, gesturing to reestablish communication. "Lieutenant Matsumura, listen closely."

"Yes Captain." The young teen said with a tremor to her voice.

"From the operations control console, establish a connection between tank A3 and Unit 00." The OD instructed.

After a few minutes the pilot replied. "Connection has been established."

"Fill Unit 00's oxygen supply with the oxygen in tank A3." 

"But Captain, if I do that, there won't be any oxygen on the space station for me to complete my mission." She looked squarely at the monitor.

"The mission is over Lieutenant. You are returning home now." She informed her.

A sudden look of disappointment filled the young pilot's expression.

"It is all right Lieutenant. You have performed admirably. There was nothing you could do about the meteor. Now commence oxygen transfer." 

A moment later, she complied. "Commencing oxygen transfer from tank A3 to Unit 00."

From the analysis console, Maya stood up and walked over to Rei. "Captain, we may have a serious problem."

Rei turned and listened intently to Senior Systems Analyst of Project E. A look of concern flashed across her face but was gone as soon as it appeared. When Maya was done, she replied. "Come."

And the two women walked up the stairway leading to the command platform.

"Commander, we may have a problem." The OD whispered.

"As if we don't have enough of them already." He sighed. "What is it?" Fuyutsuki asked.

Misato took a step closer to hear more clearly.

"According to Miss Ibuki's analysis, it will take Unit 00 four hours, fifty-three minutes and sixteen seconds to get in proper position for reentry and an additional forty-seven minutes and twenty-three seconds from point of reentry till the recovery team can remove and open the entry plug. Unfortunately, since tank A3 was the primary tank used during this mission there is only enough oxygen left in it for five hours, twenty-six minutes and six seconds."

"That means Nabiki will be without oxygen for fourteen minutes." Misato responded quietly.

"Precisely." 

"Options?" Asked the commander.

"Can't we use what little oxygen is left in the other two tanks to make up the difference?" Misato asked.

"Because of the rupture, a pressure vacuum can't be created to force air out the tank nozzle." Replied Maya.

"So there is nothing we can do?" The Colonel scowled.

"We could save fourteen minutes of oxygen if we shut down all non-essential systems on Unit 00 and if Nabiki could sleep for the four hours and fifty-three minutes. Her oxygen consumption will drop low enough to make up the fourteen minute difference with a couple minutes to spare." Maya offered.

"But how do we get her to sleep that whole time?" Misato asked.

After a brief pause, Rei answered. "We must increase the LCL pressure in the entry plug and force her to sleep."

"But according to Doctor Akagi, increased LCL pressure in space can cause irreparable brain damage." Shinji spoke, having followed his wife up to the command platform a minute after she left her post.

"The exact duration needed to cause such permanent damage is still unknown and if we keep the pressure at the minimum needed, we can reduce the risk." She said to him, staring at him squarely in the eyes.

"Are there any other options?" The commander asked.

After a moment of silence, Rei replied. "Only the unacceptable one."

"Very well, proceed with your plan." He instructed.

"Should we inform the pilot?" Misato asked.

The commander looked at his chief instructor. 

"She can handle it. She deserves to know." Shinji affirmed.

"Very well." With those final words from the commander everyone returned to their posts.

A few moments later, the pilot informed them. "Tank A3 is now empty as are tanks B3 and C3."

"Very good Lieutenant. Commence shutdown procedures from the space station, and enter Eva Unit 00 as soon as you can." The azure-haired woman said.

"Yes sir." A few minutes later, the space station went dark as the pilot sat in her entry plug and it was loaded into the Eva. 

From the systems control console at the command center, Kei-ichi reported. "All systems operating normally, Eva Unit 00 is fully active and functional." 

"Eva Unit 00, disembark Space Station Titan." The captain ordered.

"Eva Unit 00 has disembarked." The systems operator announced.

"Calculate positioning trajectory." 

A moment later, "Trajectory calculated and relayed to Unit 00."

"Lieutenant, prepare to commence position adjustment procedures."

A few minutes later, "Positioning data received and processed. Position adjustment procedure is ready to commence." The pilot informed the command center.

"Proceed with position adjustment." The captain ordered.

"Commencing position adjustment in three, two, one." The pilot relayed then suddenly the motion thrusters on Eva Unit 00 fired and gently moved the large blue bio-mecha into the proper position. Twelve seconds later, the thrusters shutdown as the Eva hovered over the earth slowly being drawn in by the planet's powerful gravitational pull. "Position adjustment complete."

"Very good Lieutenant." Rei paused for a moment considering how she was going to tell her what they had to do next. After a few pensive moments, she proceeded. "Lieutenant Matsumura, the estimated time for your landing at Oklahoma Base is five hours, forty minutes. Unfortunately, the oxygen that was loaded from tank A3 will only provide breathable air for five hours and twenty-six minutes."

The young pilot was silent as she stared at the image of her commanding officer.

"In order to make up the fourteen minute difference we need to place Unit 00 in Emergency Life Support and we need you to sleep for a minimum of four hours and fifty-three minutes." She continued.

"I understand sir but to be honest, I'm not exactly in a sleeping mood right now." The pilot replied.

"I understand Lieutenant, that is why we will need to increase the LCL pressure in the entry plug in order to induce sleep. The danger is…"

"Increased LCL pressure in a weightless environment can result in permanent hearing loss, blindness and possibly irreparable brain damage." The pilot stated soberly.

"Of course, since this has never been tried before, there is no guarantee that any of those things will happen. It is possible that you will emerge from the entry plug just fine." Rei stated.

"I understand. Captain Ayanami, if I may be so permitted. I would like to address everyone at the command center." Nabiki requested.

"Yes Nabiki, of course you may." She answered softly.

"I am hoping for the best here but in preparation for the worst I would just like to take a moment to say a few things. Commander Fuyutsuki, Sub-Commander Katsuragi, being selected as an Eva pilot has been the highlight of my life. I was never prouder, happier than I was when I was chosen to be one of the honored few. Your guidance and leadership have been an inspiration to me. Thank you. To the operators and support staff, I thank you for your help and support during my early months and for your friendship over the past year. I could not imagine having had an opportunity to work with a finer group of people. To my fellow pilots…" She continued as she struggled to hold back the tears. "A better group of friends, I've never had. You guys are the best. Captain Shinji Ayanami, I've never had a teacher as hard or as caring as you. Thank you for making me into the pilot I am today. I only wish I could have done better for you sir. I can't help but feel like I let you down. You know I lost my parents some years ago and have been raised by my aunt, and I know you are only a few years older then me sir but I can't help but feel as if you've been a father to me. Captain Rei Ayanami, if anything happens to me… if I'm not the person I was before this mission… I just want you to know that I don't blame you and you shouldn't blame yourself. I know you've done all you can for me and I thank you for it. It's like you always say, the margin for error in space approaches zero. Well, I guess getting hit by a meteor constitutes an error margin much greater than zero." She gave a weak laugh. "Captain," She started to tear up. "It has been an honor and a privilege to serve under you Ma'am. I only wish it would have been for a longer period of time." She paused as she took a moment to wipe her eyes. "Thank you. Thank you all." She paused once again. "Lieutenant Nabiki Matsumura signing off for the next five hours. I'm ready whenever you are." She closed her eyes and waited.

Speaking slowly and softy, the Operations Director informed the pilot, "Lieutenant Matsumura, you will have the opportunity to thank everyone in person when you return to Tokyo3, I promise." Then she commanded, "Systems Operator, increase LCL pressure by five point six two six percent."

A moment later, the SO responded, "LCL pressure increased by 5.626% Ma'am."

"The pilot's heart rate and respiration have decreased to levels consistent with REM sleep." The Controls Operator informed.

Silence filled the Command Center for several tense minutes.

Finally, the commander stood up. "It is out of our hands now. Doctor Akagi, have you been receiving?"

After a moment a reply came over the comm system. "Yes Commander, we've been receiving everything. We are currently synchronizing with NERV Command to determine the precise time to decrease the LCL pressure in Unit 00's entry plug."

"Very good." The commander headed for the stairs then turned, "Colonel, Captains, follow me. Lieutenant Kei-ichi, continue monitoring Unit 00's status and alert me if anything changes."

"Yes sir." The Systems Operator replied.

With that Fuyutsuki, Katsuragi, Ibuki and the two Ayanami's walked out of the command center and to the commander's office.

"She should be dismissed immediately. That level of insubordination should never be tolerated." The colonel insisted.

"What she did was wrong but don't you think dismissal is a bit extreme?" The chief instructor countered.

"What would you suggest Shinji?" Misato said sarcastically.

Choosing to ignore the sarcasm in her voice, he replied, "Six week suspension without pay and piloting privileges suspended for four months." 

"That would mean she wouldn't pilot again until after Titan comes on-line." The commanded stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes, commander, I am aware of that." The male Ayanami responded.

Silence filled the room for several moments before the commander asked. "Rei, what is your opinion concerning disciplinary action against Lieutenant Jackson?"

Rei stared out the window behind the commander for a few moments, then she softly replied. "The purpose of disciplinary action is to alter bad behavior and incorporate a new attitude of cooperation and team work, to alert the person's belief system such that the exhibited behavior does not repeat itself. While suspending Lieutenant Jackson may give her a moment of pause before she exhibits this type of behavior again, the underlying problem will remain."

"The underlying problem?" Shinji asked.

"She no longer respects my authority. In fact, I have notice a subtle but noticeable change in the way all the pilots respond to me now, ever since Full Disclosure. Everyone except Lieutenant Matsumura that is." She explained.

"So you support dismissing her outright?" Misato asked, confident of her daughter's response.

"No, to dismiss her may cause more harm then good. It will alienate the rest of the pilots as well and produce feelings of animosity and resentment." She answered.

"So what do you recommend Rei?" The commander asked.

"Allow me to deal with Lieutenant Jackson in my own way. If I fail to produce the desired results in the next two months, then dismiss her if you still feel it necessary." She concluded.

Fuyutsuki considered his Operation Director's proposal for several minutes then responded. "Very well Captain, I leave the matter in your hands." Turning his attention to Maya, he asked, "Now to more pressing and immediate matters. What can we do to minimize the potential risk to Lieutenant Matsumura?" 

"I can start some simulated lab tests to determine the exact time in which the effects begin to become irreversible. It shouldn't take more the three, four hours at the most." Maya replied.

"Very well, get started and let me know as soon as you have your results." The commander ordered.

Maya stood and saluted then turned to exit the office.

"Commander, if you do not mind, I would like to assist Captain Ibuki, if she could use my help that is." Rei interjected.

"As would I Commander." Added Shinji.

Looking at his two young captains for a moment, the commander turned to Maya and asked. "Well Miss Ibuki?"

"I could use all the help I can get." 

"Very well, proceed captains." He ordered.

With that, the three captains left the commanders office. 

After a moment of silence, the commander asked his second in command. "So what do you think?"

"I think this couldn't happen at a worst time." Misato replied.

"Yes, it could have. It could have happened before the budget vote." He responded. "But you're right, the timing is bad." He paused for a moment. "What do you think Nabiki's chances are for getting out of this unharmed?"

Misato just looked down at her hands that her now clasped over her lap.

"That's what I thought." The grey-haired man sighed as he leaned back into his chair. "I'm getting too old for this. I really don't need the aggravation anymore."

"Sir?" Misato raised her head and looked at her commanding officer with a worried expression on her face.

"Don't worry Misato. I'm not leaving just yet. At least not until we've activated the Titan Space Station. I've worked too hard to get us to this point to just walk away now."

The sub-commander gave her boss a weak smile then rose to her feet and saluted. "Permission to return to the command center sir."

"Permission granted." He returned the salute.

Walking toward the door, Misato was halted but the commander's voice, which took her by surprise. "When the time does come Misato, you will receive my highest endorsement."

The purple-haired woman gasped and turned quickly. "Commander."

"Like I said, when the time comes." The elderly man smiled.

Misato nodded slowly then turned back toward the door and left.

A few minutes later Minato walked into the office.

Kouzou, who was lost in thought, didn't even notice his attractive young secretary's approach until she was practically sitting in front of him on his desk, her legs crossed to the side so as not to disturb him.

"Minato?" The older gentleman stared up at her questioningly.

She slowly reached forward and began massaging his shoulders at the base of his neck. "You're so tense Commander. You need to relax."

The commander gently placed his hands on her wrists. "Miss Haruka, please. I'm old enough to be your grandfather. This action is totally inappropriate."

Slowly removing her hands from his shoulders, she slid them away from him until her hands were in his. "Commander, it wouldn't matter to me if you one year or one hundred years older than me. I can't change the way I feel for you. You give so much of yourself to everything and everyone here. I just want to give you something in return."

"Miss Haruka." 

Sliding off the table, she leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to his. The kiss was brief but heartfelt. Then she straightened up and gave her boss' hand a gently squeeze. "I know you're not ready for this sir but I just want to let you know. No matter how long it takes, I'll be waiting." She smiled at him then slowly slid her hands free from his and walked out of his office.

"Minato." Kouzou whispered to himself.

Sitting at three different terminals, Rei, Shinji and Maya went over the data and the results one last time. 

"Caspar has estimated the onset of permanent damage will being after 4 hours, 50 minutes and 46 seconds of elevated LCL pressure." Maya stated.

"Balthasar has estimated the onset of permanent damage will begin after 4 hours, 57 minutes and 14 seconds of elevated LCL pressure." Rei stated.

"Melchior estimates 4 hour, 52 minutes and 55 seconds before permanent damage begins to occur." Shinji finished.

"Seven tests, and the same three results every time." Maya gave an exasperated sigh.

"So which one do we go with?" Shinji asked.

"The most conservative. We run the least risk with that one." Rei replied.

"But we run the risk of Nabiki running out of oxygen before the ground crew can remove her from the entry plug." Maya countered.

"Given the three result, what does the Magi recommend?" Shinji asked.

Maya begin entering the inquiry to the Magi and in a few minutes she got her response. "Based on the three results, the Magi recommends using a time of 4 hour, 53 minutes and 22 seconds; which is long then is needed. So we can go with the 4 hour 53 minutes and 16 seconds time with a high probability that no permanent harm will come to Nabiki.

"But two of the Magi had calculated result of less then 4 hours and 53 minutes." Rei said.

"We have no choice at this point. We're running out of time. This time will be my recommendation to the Commander." Maya said firmly.

"Very well." Rei responded somberly.

Maya begin typing her recommendation to the commander. "I'll meet you in the command center as soon as I finish typing this up."

Rei and Shinji nodded and left the room.

"Three different results, every time. I can't believe the Magi couldn't come to agreement on this." She shook her head and continued typing.

In the Recreation Room

---

"I can't believe that bitch!" Second Lieutenant Pamela Jackson fumed, drawing stares from several security and secondary staff personnel who were playing pool and table tennis. 

"Keep you voice down." Whisper Lin Fong Li, a pilot and Pamela's best friend. He glanced over at the adults over at the game tables and saw the angry glares directed at his overly expressive friend. "You're going to get us all killed."

"Oh, show some backbone Lin. What are they going to do? There is no NERV without us pilots and they know it." She snapped back angrily. "Besides, I'm right. She had no right to have me thrown out of there. I should have slapped the bitch when I had the chance."

"That's enough Pam. Akane Suzuki stood up and got in the other girl's face. "I know you're angry. We're all angry, and afraid for Nabiki but what you're saying is totally out of line. You're talking about our commanding officer."

"Since when were you such an Angel lover Akane?" The American pilot snapped back.

"I'm not, and I never will be, but I also know what it means to be part of a team. My personal feelings about Captain Ayanami are just that, personal, and I won't let them interfere with my duties or my actions because being an Eva pilot means too much to me to ever jeopardize my position. If you feel the same way, I suggest you calm down and when the opportunity presents itself, go and apologize to the Operations Director." The dark-haired girl responded, straight faced and matter-of-factly.

"I'd sooner apologize to a jackass!" The blond replied fiercely.

"That may be the only thing you'll be riding if you keep this up." Spoke Ayato Kamiga, the fifth and youngest Eva pilot.

"Do I look like I give a shit right now! That bitch has turned Nabiki into a vegetable if not killed her. Why on earth would I ever want to get in an entry plug again with her calling the shots?" Pamela yelled.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of large, powerful hand grab her uniform by the lapels, turn her around and lift her into the air. "Listen here, you little brat." The large, muscular security officer snarled. "If I hear you keep talking crap about Mrs. Ayanami, I swear I'll break you in two." 

Standing next to him were two of his fellow security officers and the three staffers, each with an angry glare directed at the pilots.

"You fucking pilots think you're hot shit." He yelled. "You think NERV can't function without you. Well, let me tell you something you little shits, you are replaceable, every single one of you. Just like everyone else here. NERV is more than the sum of its parts. NERV stands for something, something important."

"You think you're so brave, flying up into space to build a space station. Let me tell you what is brave. Getting into one of those giant monsters to do battle against another giant monster, knowing that at any moment, you may have only five minutes to get the job done and if you don't get it done, then you are at the mercy of that creature. Miss Ayanami fought those monsters. She put her life on the line time and time again along with the other two pilots, for what? So little ungrateful brats like you can bad mouth her." The large man yelled in Pamela's face.

"But she's one of those same monster's she helped kill." She spat back through gritted teeth.

"SHUT UP!" He screamed right in her face. "You know nothing. I don't care if she were the devil himself. You still owe your very existence to her, you ungrateful little piece of shit." And with that he hurled the young blond about four meters through the air. She came down hard on the sofa, which slid about a quarter of a meter then flipped back sending the pilot to the floor behind it. 

"Come on Santo, these punks aren't worth it." One of his colleagues pulled on his arm.

Growling as he turned, the large man gave a warning stare at the other pilots. One by one the other adults walked out of the rec room as well, leaving the pilots alone to consider their warning.

After several minutes of silence, Ayato finally spoke. "Shit, I thought I was going to piss in my pants."

Lin ran over to the blond pilot who was slowly picking herself up off the floor. "Are you alright Pam?" He asked as he helped her to her feet.

"Yea, yea, I'm okay." She responded, though she was still shaking from the incident.

"I told you. I told you to keep your voice down. We're lucky we all didn't get our asses kicked because of your stupidity." Akane snapped.

"Fuck you!" Pam shot back then she pulled free from Lin and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Her friend asked.

"To find that bitch Rei Ayanami and give her a piece of my mind, even if it gets me fired." The blond pilot yelled as she ran out the door.

"Pam, wait!" Lin started running after her.

"Let her go." Akane snapped. "If she's so dead set on ending her career here at NERV already. Let her. At least she'll be doing what we all have been thinking." She turned and sat down.

"Yeah, ain't that the truth." Ayato added.

Lin stared over at his fellow pilots, his hand just a few centimeters from the doorknob. Slowly he turned and stared at the doorknob, still not certain of what to do.

"Come on Lin, the feed from Oklahoma Base should be starting soon." The dark-haired girl said as she sat down and turned the large screen monitor on. 

After a moment of consideration, the young pilot let his hand drop to his side as he turned and returned to the seating area around the monitor.

"There's still almost an hour before Unit 00 lands." Pamela whispered to herself. "She's not in the command center. Where can she be?" She came to a stop, realizing that just around the corner of the adjacent corridor was Captain Rei Ayanami's office. "She's probably hiding out there. The heartless bitch."

She turned the corner and saw the door of her commanding officer's office slightly ajar. As she approached she heard voices coming from the room. She slowed down and came to a stop just outside the door.

"Rei, there was nothing you could do. You did everything humanly possible for her. Even Nabiki knows you did everything in your power to save her. We just have to trust the Magi and hope for the best." Shinji said, his hands gently caressing her shoulders.

"I understand the logic of your argument Shinji but I cannot help but feel as if there were more I could have done. Lieutenant Matsumura has worked so hard to be a good pilot. They all have. She does not deserve such a cruel fate. Perhaps if I had ordered her to begin filling the Eva's oxygen supply sooner…" She argued.

"After all this you still can't call her Nabiki." Pam whispered to herself. "You are a cold hearted bitch."

"Her oxygen consumption was minimal from the time of the accident till the time you ordered her to begin transferring it to Unit 00. It wouldn't have made much of a difference." 

"But perhaps, even a few seconds could mean the difference between…" Her husband interrupted her again.

"Rei, stop it. You heard Nabiki herself say it. She doesn't blame you. No one does." Shinji insisted.

__

'Like hell no one blames her.' Pam mentally offered.

"There is at least one person who does, perhaps three others." His wife countered.

"She's wrong and if they agree with her, then they're wrong too." 

"Are they? I am not so sure." She looked way, unable and unwilling to accept his comfort and support.

"Rei, you can't start questioning your decisions. Once you start doing that…" He ran his hand gently over her hair, lightly caressing the back of her neck. "Once you start, it will never end." 

Slowly the crimson-eyed woman looked up into her husband's eyes. "Why are you always so kind to me?" She gave him a faint smile.

"Because you're my life, you're the air I breathe, the blood that flows through my veins". He smiled back.

Smiling back she replied. "You know, you should have been a poet instead of a pilot."

"It's still not too late." He leaned forward and kissed her on her forehead. "Come, let's head back to the command center."

She nodded but said. "I will be right there. I just have one thing I need to do first."

"Okay, I'll wait." 

"No, that's alright. Go on ahead. I will be there in a minute." She assured him.

Pausing a moment, Shinji gave his wife a questioning look but decided not to press the issue. "Okay. I'll see you there." He leaned in once again and kissed her on the cheek then turned and headed out the door.

Rei considered closing the door her husband had left open but instead she walked around and sat at her desk. Taking a deep breath, she pulled open the bottom drawer and flipped through the folders till she found what she was looking for. Pulling a single page letter, she set it in front of her and looked down at it. It was a resignation letter she had written her first day as Operations Director. While Fuyutsuki and Katsuragi always expressed the utmost confidence in her abilities, she felt that if her performance or her origins ever posed a risk to NERV, she would do what she knew in her heart they would not. Now, for the first time since she wrote the letter, she looked at it and read the short two paragraphs. 

In the hallway, Pamela, had retreated around the corner so as not to be seen by her instructor. Now she stood by the door once again, looking in at the sole figure sitting behind the desk.

__

'What the hell is she doing now?' She wondered.

Slowly tears began to form in the director's eyes. "Oh Nabiki… I am sorry… I am so sorry… I am so, so sorry." She covered her face with her hands and wept. "Nabiki, I am sorry, so very, very sorry."

The blond pilot gasped in surprise then quickly turned away from the doorway so as not to be seen if her superior happened to look up from the sound. Confusion and uncertainty were written on her face as she took an uncertain step away from the office.

After crying for about a minute, Rei wiped her tears way and took a deep breath in an effort to regain her composure. Then she pulled out a pen from the lab coat that had become her signature uniform and clicked it open. She held it in her hand just centimeters over the letter. After a few pensive moments, she set the pen down on the letter and got up. Walking out the door, she checked to make sure it was locked then turned to head for the command center. 

"Aah! Lieutenant Jackson." Rei's heart raced for a moment at the surprise of being face to face with the insubordinate young pilot. "What can I do for you?" She asked

"I just came to tell you…" The young pilot looked into her commanding officer's crimson eyes, finding the resolve in them that had fled her moments ago. "I just came to tell you that if anything happens to Nabiki, I'll never forgive you. You think you're always right, don't you. Well, your arrogance has put my friend in jeopardy and it'll be all your fault if anything happens to her." Not waiting for a response, the young pilot turned and walked away. 

Rei stood perfectly still for a moment unable to react in anyway. Finally, her cellphone range, causing her to reach into her lab coat to pull it out. "Hello, Rei Ayanami speaking." She whispered without a hint of emotion.

"Rei, where are you? Unit 00 will being its reentry procedures in less then 20 minutes."

"Coming mother." She whispered softly.

"Mother? Rei, what's wrong?" 

"Nothing Sub-Commander. I'm on my way." Rei ended the call and started walking toward the command center.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry for ending it like this but if I let it get any longer, it would become totally unmanageable for me. I've already begun working on the next chapter so it the wait won't be that long. I know this seems like a very unexpected turn of events considering the way the story had been flowing but the conflict between Rei and her pilots was one I wanted to explore in the last chapter but just couldn't fit it in. It will get tied in with the rest of the story, I assure you.

I'd like to thank everyone that reviewed my last chapter as well as the wonderful people on the 

Rei-Shinji.cjb.net Forum. If you are a Rei/Shinji fan, that is the place to go. ^_^

Please review this chapter after reading it. I'd really like to know what you think. 

A. Amishi


	17. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it (A sequel to Random1377's Crimson and Azure)

Chapter 16

Rei Ayanami stood just outside the entrance to the Command Center. As she walked towards her destination, the words of her unruly subordinate resonated in her ears. Despite her husband's claim to the contrary and the assurances she received from her superiors, as well as the pilot whose life was currently hanging in the balance, she could not shake the feeling that Pamela Jackson was correct in her assessment. But now she knew what she had to do.

She wiped her eyes one last time, then lightly slapped her palms to her cheeks and took three deep breaths. _'You have a job to do and a pilot who is depending upon you to do that job correctly.'_ She steeled her expression, erasing any hint of emotion from her face. Then she reached for the door handle and proceeded to enter.

As the Operations Director took her position, she instantly assumed command of the situation. 

"Systems Operator, how much more time before depressurization?" 

"Depressurization is scheduled to take place in 10 minutes, 42 seconds," answered Lieutenant Kei-ichi

"Oklahoma Base, we will handle depressurization on our end," she said.

Her pronouncement caused heads to turn, as the Sub-Commander stepped forward and looked over at her superior with an expression of mild shock. 

"Captain Ayanami, what reason do you have for wanting to control depressurization on this end?" the Commander inquired.

Turning around to face her boss, she answered, "We have the Magi here, Commander. There is less chance of delay on our end. And based on the simulations we ran, even a fraction of a second could prove critical."

The Commander considered his subordinate's reason for a few moments, then said, "Oklahoma Base, Doctor Akagi, depressurization will be controlled on our end as the Operations Director has stated."

After a brief moment, Ritsuko's voice came over the communication system. "Very well, Commander. We shall be standing by to commence reentry procedures." 

"Very good, Doctor." The Commander replied. "It is in your hands, Captain."

Rei nodded and turned back toward the monitors, but not before stealing a glance at her husband. In the instant their eyes met she could see the concern and fear etched in his face, but she saw something else as well. _'Despite his fears, he still believes in me. I recognize that expression. He believes I will take the correct action.'_ She drew in a breath and hardened her expression.

"Systems Operator, continue to provide status on the time before depressurization. Controls Operator, provide us with the status of the pilot as well."

"Yes, Ma'am." The two operators replied.

"Time to depressurization, 8 minutes, 45 seconds."

"Pilot remains unconscious with respiration and heart rate nominal."

__

'Was the Magi correct? Did I error in any way during the simulations? Please, if there is a god in heaven, let Nabiki come out of this alright.' A visibly tense Maya did her best to control her breathing as sweat beaded up on her forehead, dripping down her temples, across her cheeks, and down to her chin, where it beaded back up and dripped onto her keypad. 

"Huh?" she whispered as she looked down to see the drops of moisture. She quickly wiped her chin and the sides of her face with the back of her hand. 

"Here," came a gentle voice.

Looking to her right she saw a hand holding a handkerchief. Looking up, she saw Shinji's sober expression. 

After a moment's hesitation, she took the piece of cloth. "Th-thank you."

He nodded and went back to staring at the monitors, which showed both the interior and exterior of Unit 00.

"Time to depressurization, 7 minutes 25 seconds."

"The pilot's status remains unchanged."

Misato's lips quivered as she remembered interviewing Nabiki Matsumura. 

**__**

"Don't think just because you're the niece of the Minister of Justice that it in any way enhances your chances at becoming an Eva pilot, Miss Matsumura. We have many highly qualified candidates seeking to fill this 5th and final position," Misato said sternly, taking some small pleasure in seeing the young girl fidget slightly in her seat.

"I-I understand that, Colonel Katsuragi. I don't expect, nor do I desire, any special treatment in any way. I'll admit, my Aunt Yurika has been like a mother to me since my parents died, but if there is anything she's taught me, it's to stand on my own two feet and not rely on handouts from others. I believe my test results and school records stand on their own, Ma'am," she answered, trying to sound as confident as possible, but succumbing to the growing tension in the pit of her stomach as the last five words she spoke came out as barely a whisper. 

"Yes, well. While your test results are impressive, as well as your school record, you do have a spotty health history. Piloting an Evangelion can be very grueling. We can't afford to have a pilot in the hospital every few weeks."

"Most of my health problems were related to an intestinal ailment that has since been corrected, Ma'am. I haven't had the need to go to the hospital for nearly seven months now, and I've never felt better." She forced a smile.

Setting the girl's application and test results down, the Sub-Commander clasped her hands together, set her elbows on the desk, and leaned forward until her hands were just in front of her mouth. "What I don't really understand is why someone with such a checkered health history would want to risk what good health they now have doing something so very dangerous?" She waited for an answer.

Nabiki looked down at her lap for what felt like an eternity as she debated answering the question truthfully or not. As a tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek, she slowly looked up at the intimidating looking woman in front of her. Then she spoke. "I know you've probably heard stories like this one hundreds of times already, but… it was about three years ago when my aunt took me to a banquet in honor of Miss Rei Ayanami. Because of her position, we got to sit very close to the podium. I remember watching Miss Ayanami during dinner. She ate very little. She spent most of her time taking notes while conversing with her fiancé and the Prime Minister. When she went up to the podium to speak, I was taken back by how softly she spoke. It was barely above a whisper, and yet I hung on every word she said. She thanked everyone for coming. She said how she didn't feel as if she had done anything to warrant such honor. Everyone laughed at that idea, but she was very serious. She talked about the importance of what NERV was doing. How securing man's place in the heavens was ensuring our future here on earth." Tears began running down her face as she spoke. "I remember… I remember her saying, 'It is our duty as citizens of this world, this solar system, this galaxy, and this universe, to expand our horizons and seek out new challenges, wherever they may take us.' I decided then and there I wanted to be just like her. I wanted to see the vision of the future that Miss Ayanami spoke of come true." She turned her head away and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, Colonel Katsuragi."

__

'You made my decision easy that day, Nabiki.' A tear escaped Misato's left eye as she stared at the monitors.

"Are you alright, Colonel?" The Commander asked.

Brushing away the tear quickly, she replied, "Yes sir. The air is just a bit dry in here for me, that's all."

"Yes… dry." He turned back towards the monitors. _'It's dry in here for me as well.'_

"Time to depressurization, 4 minutes 35 seconds."

"The pilot's status remains unchanged."

The three operators looked from one to the other, each seeing the same nervous perspiration that covered their own face. Their hands trembled slightly over their keyboards as they waited for the zero hour.

As she waited, a thought occurred to Rei as she worked out the numbers in her head quickly, finally asking, "Time to depressurization please."

"Depressurization in 2 minutes 5 seconds." Kei-ichi replied.

The Operations Director stepped up directly behind and slightly to the left of her systems operator. Watching the timer count down on the screen, she quickly recalculated the values once again. As the time counted down to less then a minute and a half, Rei took another step forward. 

Feeling a little uncomfortable having his superior standing so close to him, Kei-ichi's voice cracked when he announced, "Time to depressurization, 1 minute 22 seconds."

"The pilot's status remains unchanged."

Without a moments hesitation, Rei stated, "Lieutenant, stand down."

"Ma'am?" Kei-ichi turned and stared at her with a look of total shock.

"Stand down now, Lieutenant." She stared at him with eyes that pierced his very soul.

"Y-yes, ma'am." He got up quickly and stepped away from the console.

Rei took his seat as she stared at the monitor.

"Captain, what are you doing?" The Commander demanded as he jumped up from his seat.

Ignoring her commanding officer, Rei began entering the command sequence to depressurize the entry plug. When the countdown hit 53 seconds, she executed the command, and three seconds later Nabiki began to stir, her eyes opening and closing several times.

"The pilot's heart rate and respiration have returned to normal. She is awake and alert," reported the controls officer.

Rei rose from the seat, turning towards Kei-ichi, who was staring at her with a look of complete shock, and said, "You may resume your post, Lieutenant." Then she stepped back to her normal position.

The Commander was still standing, staring in utter disbelief at his subordinate's actions, as was everyone else.

Thinking quickly, Misato called out, "Ritsuko, commence re-entry procedures."

"Re-entry procedures commencing," the doctor replied. 

The Commander waited a moment until he was certain the doctor had everything under control. Once he was certain of this, he commanded, "Captain Rei Ayanami, go to my office and wait for me there."

"If the Commander would allow, I would like to remain until Unit 00 has safely landed," she replied.

"You have your orders, Captain," the old man said firmly.

"Yes, Commander." With that Rei turned and walked out of the Command Center.

Deafening silence filled the room, save for the occasional instructions and information relayed to Unit 00 from Oklahoma Base. As re-entry proceeded as normal, Shinji made his way over to Maya and crouched down on one knee, whispering, "Maya, can you calculate the difference normalizing the LCL pressure 50 seconds early had on the pilot?"

Maya nodded both her compliance and understanding as she turned towards her keyboard and allowed her fingers to dance over it.

Shinji remained crouched down next to her, waiting patiently for her results.

~~~

Assuming the young pilot would be experiencing some disorientation after being forced unconscious for several hours, Doctor Akagi chose to perform most of the re-entry commands remotely, only requiring Nabiki to execute the steps that could not be performed from Earth. 

As the Evangelion prepared to enter the communications blackout phase, the Doctor informed the young pilot, "Now Nabiki, communications will be interrupted for precisely three minutes, but just in case we fail to reestablish communication after that time, I am programming this clock." At that moment a large holographic clock appeared in the pilot's field of vision. "When this timer runs down to zero, open the parachutes, understood, Lieutenant?"

"Yes Doctor, I understand." The dark-haired teen replied, trying her very best to hide her fear.

After a brief pause, one of the operational technicians counted down. "Communications blackout will occur in 5, 4, 3, 2…"

~~~

"Hurry men, we don't have a moment to waste!" The Entry Plug Extraction Team Chief barked out loudly as his men made their way up the transportable ladder to the ejected entry plug.

Two burly men grabbed hold of the emergency release handle and turned it as quickly as they could. In a matter of seconds, the hatch was opened and LCL came pouring out, coating the two men from the waist down, but they paid no attention to the warm orange liquid. Instead, the taller of the two men rushed inside the tube and a few seconds later came out with the young girl in his arms. As she gasping for breath, the shorter man placed an oxygen mask over the pilot's mouth. 

"Try to breathe normally," he instructed.

Nabiki tilted her head towards him, cupping her ear to better hear him.

"Try to breathe normally!" the shorter man repeated more loudly.

Nabiki nodded her understanding and did her best to take normal breaths. After about a minute, she said, "I'm all right now. I can breathe again."

"Are you sure?" the man asked in a loud voice, hesitating to take the mask off her.

She smiled and gave him two thumbs up.

He returned the smile and removed the mask.

"Thank you." She smiled even wider.

Assured that the pilot of Unit 00 was now breathing normally on her own, they started making their way down the ladder, Nabiki still cradled in the taller man's arms.

"Umm, I think I can walk down," she assured him.

"That's alright, Lieutenant! You're not heavy at all!" He smiled at her. 

She gave a soft giggle, straining to see the expression on the man's face.

"Perhaps you could give a reassuring wave to all your well wishers!" he suggested.

"Well wishers?" she asked, wrinkling her brow.

He nodded towards the grandstands. 

Looking over in that direction, she squinted as hard as she could, but had difficulty making out anything that far away. "How many people are out there?"

"Must be a couple hundred thousand, easy!" he answered.

"Oh my god." Her face flushed at the thought that so many people came to see her landing. 

"They came to pray for your safe return, Lieutenant! I know you can't hear them, but try and give a listen, and maybe you can make out the cheering!" He stopped just a few steps from the ground to give her a chance to listen carefully.

Slowly the blank look on her face changed as tears of joy streamed down her cheeks, and she waved enthusiastically towards the crowd. Taking the last few steps down to the ground, the tall man lifted her up high and placed her on his shoulder. Nabiki let out a scream of surprise, but smiled down at him, then returned to waving at the crowds. All the workers around her also cheered and applauded the pilot's safe return. The man slowly made his way to the waiting ambulance. The cheers continued for several long minutes as he held the petite young pilot on his shoulder. She continued to wave and thank all her well wishers. 

Finally, Doctor Akagi appeared and said, "All right now, we need to get Miss Matsumura to the hospital to run some tests. Set her down on the gurney."

Frowning just slightly, the tall man did as he was told as he gently set the young pilot on the gurney. 

"Thank you…" Nabiki extended her hand toward the man. "Mister?"

"Simons," he answered, "Roger Simons." He took her hand into his and continued. "And thank you, Miss Matsumura. Your courage is an inspiration to us all."

"Okay, we need to get you to the hospital now." Ritsuko gestured to the EMTs who were standing on either side of the gurney. They nodded their understanding and loaded the stretcher into the ambulance. The doctor then got in, they closed the doors, and it sped away, sirens blaring, led by a police escort.

People continued to cheer as the vehicles left the base.

Everyone at the NERV Command Center breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the successful landing of Unit 00 and what seemed to be a perfectly healthy pilot leaving the Oklahoma Base. 

Commander Fuyutsuki sat back in his chair for the first time since returning to the Command Center. Speaking softly, he said, "Good work everyone. I'll see to it that you all receive a commendation for your fine work during this crisis."

"What about Rei, Commander?" his second in command asked. "If it weren't for her, Nabiki might very well be dead now."

The Commander stood up and looked down to where his Operations Director usually stood. The space was vacant now because she was waiting for him in his office. She still didn't know the status of the pilot, and this thought caused the old man's heart to ache. "Contact Minato and tell her to inform Captain Ayanami that Nabiki landed safely and appears to be in good health. And that I will be there in a few moments." Then he proceeded to leave the Command Center.

"Yes, Commander." Misato quickly pulled out her phone and made the call.

"Thank God. I'll do that right now. Yes, thank you, Miss Katsuragi." Minato got up from behind her desk and entered the Commander's office.

She saw Rei sitting perfectly still, looking straight ahead. The young woman didn't turn or even flinch when the door opened, or when she hear the Commander's secretary approach, her heels clattering on the hard marble floor.

"Captain Ayanami," she said softly as she came to a stop next to the young captain.

The azure-haired woman looked up at Minato.

"I just received a call from Sub-Commander Katsuragi. She wanted me to tell you that Unit 00 landed safely, and Pilot Matsumura appears to be in good health." She smiled. "That's good news, isn't it, ma'am?"

Rei simply started at the buxom secretary for a moment before replying in a detached voice, "Yes, thank you, Miss Haruka"

Feeling quite uncomfortable all of a sudden, Minato shifted from one foot to the other. Finally clearing her throat, she added, "Well, Commander Fuyutsuki should be here shortly." Then she turned and started walking toward the door. 

__

'Man, I can't believe anyone can be so cold. I always thought she cared so much about them,' she thought sadly, but just before she reached the door she heard a faint sound and turned to see what it was. To her surprise, she saw the young captain hunched over with her hands over her face, sobbing softly. Tears instantly welled up in her eyes as her first instinct told her to go to the young woman and comfort her, but she hesitated. _'No, this is why she restrained herself before. I'll just embarrass her if I go to her now.' _She quietly walked out the door. Sitting at her desk, she reached for a tissue to dry her eyes. A moment later the Commander entered the outer doors and headed straight for his office.

"Oh, Commander," she said.

"Yes, Miss Haruka," he replied, his hand on the doorknob.

"You may want to wait a moment longer, Sir," she informed him.

A look of confusion crossed his brow. "Why is that?"

"There's a young woman in there trying her hardest to compose herself." Tears welled up in her eyes again. "She puts such a heavy burden upon herself. She cares so much for her young pilots. She just needs a moment, Sir. Please," she pleaded.

Looking into the earnest eyes of his secretary, the elderly man's expression softened as he released the doorknob. Walking over to her desk, he leaned against it and allowed his shoulders to slump low as he hung his head. "I don't believe I've ever had as hard a day as Commander of this facility as I've had today." 

Minato rose from her chair and stood in front of her boss. "You know, Commander…" He looked up at her, and she continued. "Sometimes even the strongest and bravest need to be held, if just for a moment." 

Without changing his expression, he stood up straight and took her into his arms. She returned his embrace as she rested her cheek against his chest. They stayed like this for a few moments before Kouzou gradually released her. "Thank you, Minato" 

"You're welcome, Sir." She smiled softly up at him.

He returned her smile, then walked to his office door.

Opening it slowly but firmly, so as to give the room's occupant time to compose herself if she hadn't already done so, the Commander walked in and headed directly towards her, choosing not to sit behind his desk. Turning to face his young captain, the Commander leaned against his large desk and looked sadly down at her.

During the short time he waited in the outer office, Rei managed to compose herself and wipe away any hint of tears she may have shed. She looked up at him with the same serious expression he had grown accustomed to over the years. 

"Rei, just answer me this. Why did you depressurize the entry plug fifty seconds early without saying anything?" he asked in a sympathetic voice.

"I kept running through the equations in my head, Commander. The more times I did, the more I was certain I needed to depressurize the entry plug fifty seconds early. I did not say anything, because by the time I came to my conclusion, the opportunity for discussion had passed. To debate its merits at that point would have meant losing the opportunity to save Nabiki. I could not take that risk, Commander," she explained in her normal soft, almost monotone, voice.

The Commander rubbed his temples as he let out a long breath.

"Am I terminated, Commander?" she asked.

"No." Kouzou looked up quickly. "No, of course not. You've always performed at the highest level of competency, and your fast thinking today saved Pilot Matsumura's life. I would never even consider terminating you, Rei."

"Then am I placed on suspension?" she asked.

This time the Commander paused. "I-I don't know yet." He paused for a moment, then continued. "As the Commander of NERV, I understand the necessity of making split second decisions and acting upon them. But more and more often I am called upon to be a diplomat and a politician. As our budget continues to grow, so does the scrutiny with which we are watched. There will be many questions, not the least of which will be why did my Operations Director override the recommendation provided by the Magi without offering any form of explanation for her actions?" Kouzou rubbed his temples and sighed. "When did I stop being a scientist and became a politician?"

"Perhaps I can make your burden easier to bear, Commander," Rei offered.

Looking up, Fuyutsuki gave his subordinate a very stern glare. "Don't you go offering me your resignation. I told you already, I would never consider terminating you, and I will never accept your resignation."

"Then perhaps allow me to take a leave of absence for an undetermined length of time. I would imagine that further flights will be delayed until we can determine the exact cause of the failed plating and our emergency procedures are re-evaluated," the captain stated.

"But don't you want to take part in the re-evaluation process?" the elderly man asked.

"I have every confidence in Doctor Akagi and Captain Ibuki to develop new more stringent emergency procedures. And I am certain that Captain Ayanami will properly instruct the pilots in those procedures," she reasoned.

"Rei, you don't have to do this," the Commander stated firmly.

"Commander, today I questioned my judgment, not once, but multiple times. And while Pilot Matsumura may be alive, there is no guarantee that she will be able to pilot again." She paused momentarily, looking down at her lap, then back up at her Commander. "I understand the dangers of working in space. I understand there are no guarantees, but I cannot help but think… feel that there was more I could have done, and until I resolve this issue for myself, I will not be able to function confidently as NERV's Director of Operations."

Kouzou pressed his eyes closed and nodded, keeping his head hung low afterwards. 

Rei stood up and added, "Thank you Commander, for everything." Then she turned and walked across the room and out the door. 

The elderly gentleman opened his eyes long enough to watch the woman he thought of as his granddaughter walk out of the room. Softly, he whispered to himself, "Why does it feel like you just said goodbye forever, Rei?"

~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I am so very sorry for taking so long to update this story. When I decided to extend the story by adding an additional dramatic element, I never imagined I would go seven months between updates. I had five additional pages to this chapter, but I realized that to complete the direction I was taking the story at that point would require probably another ten pages, so I decided it was best to stop this chapter here and post it already. I hope I haven't lost too many of you because of my long delay. As of right now, I suspect I will need at least two more chapters to finish this story. I hope you will stay with me long enough to see it to the end. I should be able to get the next chapter posted much, much sooner than it's taken me to post this one. 

I'd like to offer a big thanks to my new beta-reader, Janice, who has done a wonderful job for me. I don't know how I ever managed without her. Thank you so very much, Janice. 

A. Amishi

PS: I'll be one of the panelists at this year's ACEN Fanfiction Panel. I hope any of you who plan on attending ACEN will stop by the panel and say HI. ^_^ I'd love to meet some of my wonderful readers. ^_~


End file.
